World Cup soccer fans in Russia have been laughing, crying, and screaming as their favorite teams win or lose. But Russians themselves aren’t known for their emotional displays. In fact, in the lead up to the World Cup, Russian workers actually got training on how to smile at visiting fans. Which raises a question: Why?

Why do some cultures smile more than others? Masha Gartstein is a professor of psychology and director of advanced programs at Washington State University and she’s written about what she calls, “the smile gap.”

“Russians are suspicious of people who appear to be smiling for no reason, and at worst … » More …

A new, interdisciplinary senior-living degree at WSU is in the works, with not only hospitality business operations but also nursing, technology, and psychology, to reflect how many communities serve a broad range of seniors’ needs.

After business professor Nancy Swanger developed a senior living-specific course in the business college, she began talking with other faculty around WSU who had interest in the field of aging and senior living, including Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe in psychology and colleagues in human development, electrical engineering, and nursing, to name a few. The discussions led to the idea of a holistic degree and a research institute.

The Granger Cobb Institute for Senior … » More …

Results from a new study conducted by researchers at Washington State University and Central Queensland University suggest that complaints against U.S. police officers increase when they work consecutive night shifts. The odds of citizen complaints increase even more when night shift officers are required to make daytime court appearances in-between night shifts when they would otherwise be resting up for their next shift.

Results from the study indicate that citizen complaints were most prevalent on night shifts. The researchers also found that going to court during the day between night shifts further increased the odds of citizen complaints. This supports the idea that sleep restriction … » More …

How does cannabis stack up against anxiety treatments that we know are safe and effective (like yoga and meditation)? Let’s take a look at some of the most compelling evidence:

A study by scientists at the Washington State University found that just a couple of puffs of marijuana is enough to lower anxiety and depression for most users. This was one of the first studies to examine the strain-specific effects of cannabis on mood. The researchers concluded that herbal strains high in CBD (a natural anti-inflammatory compound with no psychoactive properties) but low in THC (the compound responsible for marijuana mind-altering effects) had the most … » More …

A majority of letters to the editor that appear in newspapers are written by men, which means a sizable chunk of the nation isn’t taking part in the national conversation.

Joyce Ehrlinger, assistant professor of psychology at Washington State University, said that women are hesitant to position themselves as experts.

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