Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to research to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. [continue reading…]

Although changing social and cultural contexts mean guilt has less power today than it once did, a new study has shown that in the West this emotion is “significantly higher” among women. The main problem, according to the experts, is not that women feel a lot of guilt (which they do), but rather that many males feel “too little”.

“Our initial hypothesis was that feelings of guilt are more intense among females, not only among adolescents but also among young and adult women, and they also show the highest scores for interpersonal sensitivity”, Itziar Etxebarria, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), tells SINC. [continue reading…]

The extent of mental health problems is increasing, and has become one of the biggest challenges facing Europe today. As much as 10-25 per cent of women are at risk of developing serious depression during their lifetime. This implies that a large number of European women will experience mental problems such as anxiety and depression, which are more frequent among women than men. How can the health services improve safeguarding women’s mental health? Kristin Akerjordets thesis at the University of Stavanger offers an important clue: By training health personnel in emotional intelligence, they will be better equipped to prevent women from developing depressive illnesses. [continue reading…]