Mom Psych

In the 1990s, David H. Barlow (professor of psychology and psychiatry at Boston University and founder of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders) and colleague Timothy Brown began a closer study of the role neuroticism played in the mood and anxiety disorders found in their patients. What they discovered was that negative affect contributed substantially to all the disorders in the clinic — in particular generalized anxiety disorder and depression. The findings have since been replicated many times, Barlow said.

Today it is believed that two other factors play a key role in shaping the neurotic temperament. The first is that people predisposed to this behavior don’t handle intense emotions well. One study conducted a few years ago confirmed that patients in Barlow’s clinic found emotions less acceptable than well-matched participants outside the clinic and typically tried to suppress them.

Your best side may be your left cheek, according to a new study: possibly due to the fact that we present a greater intensity of emotion on the left side of our face.

Facial expressions have been called the "universal language of emotion," but people from different cultures may perceive happy, sad or angry facial expressions in unique ways, according to new research.

Music can evoke positive emotions, which in turn can lower the listener's stress levels."To get the positive effects of music, you have to listen to music that you like," says the author of the thesis Marie Helsing.