Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

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7 papers

An Introduction to the Five‐Factor Model and Its Applications

Robert R. McCrae, Oliver P. John
Journal of Personality Summary & key facts 1992 6,699 citations

This 1992 review describes the five-factor model, which groups personality into five basic traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience. The authors summarize research using natural-language adjectives and personality questionnaires that supports the model’s broad coverage of personality and its usefulness across different observers and cultures. They review…

Cognitive Abilities and Testing Personality Disorders and Psychopathology Personality Traits and Psychology

The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure.

Piers Steel
Psychological Bulletin Summary & key facts 2007 3,145 citations

This paper reviews research on procrastination and runs a meta-analysis of 691 correlations. It finds that some personality traits (neuroticism, rebelliousness, sensation seeking) have only weak links to procrastination. Strong and consistent predictors include task aversiveness, task delay, low self-efficacy, impulsiveness, and low conscientiousness (including poor self-control, distractibility, poor organization,…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies Work-Family Balance Challenges

Assessing the Big Five personality traits using real-life static facial images

Alexander Kachur, Evgeny Osin, Denis Davydov, Konstantin Shutilov, Alexey Novokshonov
Scientific Reports Summary & key facts 2020 90 citations

Researchers collected face photos and personality surveys from about 12,400 volunteers and used a type of computer program that learns patterns, called artificial neural networks, to try to predict the Big Five personality traits from those pictures. The program could guess some traits better than chance, with the strongest matches…

Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior Face Recognition and Perception Personality Traits and Psychology

First Impressions of Personality Traits From Body Shapes

Ying Hu, Connor J. Parde, Matthew Q. Hill, Naureen Mahmood, Alice J. O’Toole
Psychological Science Summary & key facts 2018 76 citations

Researchers showed people a set of computer-made male and female bodies and asked them to rate many personality traits. Raters tended to sort bodies along two main ideas: whether a body looked to them like a person with positive versus negative traits, and whether a body looked to them like…

Aesthetic Perception and Analysis Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior Fashion and Cultural Textiles

Examining Psychedelic-Induced Changes in Social Functioning and Connectedness in a Naturalistic Online Sample Using the Five-Factor Model of Personality

Brandon Weiss, Victoria Amalie Nygart, Lis Marie Pommerencke, Robin Carhart‐Harris, David Erritzøe
Frontiers in Psychology Summary & key facts 2021 45 citations

Researchers followed people who used psychedelics in real life and signed up online. They asked them about their personality and how connected they felt to others before the experience, two weeks after, and four weeks after. On average, people reported feeling less emotional instability, becoming more friendly and cooperative, and…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Perfectionism as a predictor of physician burnout

Martin, Sarah R., Fortier, Michelle A., Heyming, Theodore W., et al.
SpringerLink Summary & key facts 2022 44 citations

This study surveyed 69 pediatric physicians (mean age 44.2, 61% female) in one U.S. children’s hospital network between August 2020 and February 2021. It found that 42% of doctors reported high emotional exhaustion or depersonalization, and that higher self-critical perfectionism was linked to higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores. The…

Diversity and Career in Medicine Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies

Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study

Haijen, Eline C. H. M., Hurks, Petra P. M., Kuypers, Kim P. C.
www.frontiersin.org Summary & key facts 2023 5 citations

This naturalistic survey followed adults with ADHD or severe ADHD symptoms who planned to start psychedelic microdosing. After 4 weeks, participants reported higher overall trait mindfulness — driven by better ability to describe inner experience and to be non-judging — and lower neuroticism, while other Big Five traits did not…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions Psychedelics and Drug Studies
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