COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered adolescent development in lasting ways, a new study indicates. Researchers found that teens assessed after lockdowns had disrupted stress hormone levels, heightened immune activation, and diminished brain responses to emotional and rewarding experiences.

A large longitudinal study tracking COVID-19 survivors for up to 42 months provides evidence that brain fog tends to improve over time. Yet for some, deficits in processing speed and executive function appear to persist even three years after infection.

Unlike other drug users, individuals who used psychedelics and cannabis during the pandemic saw average improvements in anxiety and depression, according to a UK-based longitudinal study that tracked mental health before and after COVID-19 restrictions.

What if "zombie" cells are driving long-COVID? Researchers propose that viruses push blood vessel cells into a dysfunctional state, causing the microclots, oxygen debt, and severe fatigue that millions experience long after an infection has cleared.

Many people hospitalized with COVID-19 still had trouble focusing and reacting quickly three months after discharge, even if they seemed physically recovered. These attention problems could affect daily tasks like driving or working.

An international study of over 15,000 adults across 16 countries found that dream recall and nightmares became more common during the pandemic, with sleep duration, age, and gender all playing a role in how often people experienced them.

Americans became less favorable toward Asians as COVID-19 spread and news coverage intensified, according to a new study. The drop was strongest among Trump supporters, highlighting how political rhetoric and fear shaped public opinion during the pandemic.

A new study suggests pandemic-related anxiety may have fueled orthorexia nervosa—an unhealthy obsession with clean eating. The findings reveal how fear of COVID-19, combined with low cognitive flexibility, contributed to disordered eating behaviors in U.S. adults.

Psychologists have found that conspiracy theory beliefs may stem from spite triggered by feelings of social, existential, or cognitive disadvantage. The findings suggest that tackling misinformation requires addressing deeper social inequalities and psychological frustrations.

A large-scale genetic study links depression, PTSD, and ADHD to increased COVID-19 risk, highlighting shared biological pathways involving immunity and stress response.

A new study finds that a therapeutic video game, AKL-T01, improved task-switching and processing speed in people with post-COVID cognitive deficits. While sustained attention did not improve, participants reported better quality of life and reduced fatigue after six weeks of...

Children tested during the COVID-19 pandemic show reduced sensitivity to emotional expressions, particularly happiness—highlighting possible effects of limited social exposure in early development.

How you think about the COVID-19 vaccine may shape how your body and mind respond to it, new research suggests—affecting everything from side effects to antibody levels.

A new study finds that mental disorders among children and adolescents increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, with anxiety and depression becoming more common, especially among females and young adults.

Despite the "my body, my choice" rhetoric used by anti-mandate protesters, a Sex Roles study reveals that opposition to COVID-19 public health measures is actually associated with opposition to abortion rights.