Psychology

“Although our laughter may be as distinctive as our speech, laughter is not infinitely variable. If we all laughed differently, we could not identify a vocalization as laughter,” said Psychology Research Professor and Professor Emeritus Robert Provine in a recent Mashable article. The article, published December 1, examines why people have different laughs. Provine, who is author of Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccuping and Beyond, said “most classical laughs have a short, harmonic blast (‘ha’) of about one-fifteenth of a second duration, that repeats every one-fifth of a second. It’s hard to laugh in any other way. Try it. The result doesn’t sound very much like… Continue Reading Robert Provine, Psychology, in Mashable

On November 19, an article published in Time examined laughter and if it really has any health benefits. Psychology Research Professor/Professor Emeritus Robert Provine was interviewed for the article and commented on the complexity of laughter’s health benefits. Below is an excerpt from the article: Provine calls himself a “reserved optimist” when it comes to laughter’s health-bolstering properties. “One of the challenges of studying laughter is that there are so many things that trigger it,” Provine explains. For example, you’re 30 times more likely to laugh around other people than when you are by yourself, he says. Social relationships and companionship have… Continue Reading Robert Provine, Psychology, in Time

In an article published October 31 on Vox.com, Psychology Professor Robert Provine was quoted extensively about his research on hiccups and the evolution of behavior. He discussed how there’s little scientific knowledge about hiccups and how they are difficult to study. “We still don’t know what hiccups do, and our cure for them hasn’t improved since Plato,” said Provine. “You can’t just go into the lab and ask someone to hiccup for you.” Provine also discussed holding breath as a possible cure for intractable hiccups. “You’re blocking the motor pattern as well as leading to a buildup of carbon dioxide,”… Continue Reading Robert Provine, Psychology, in Vox and on Today.com

Kim Casimbon ’14 and Arielle Dolegui ’13, psychology, will present at the Universities at Shady Grove’s 6th Annual BioMedical Science Day: Into the Future-Research to Reality on Thursday, November 20, 2014 at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, MD. This event is presented by USG’s Committee on Collaboration, Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary Education Strategies.

UMBC’s Department of Psychology is opening a new mental health clinic at the Psychology Training, Research, and Services Center on September 15, 2014. The clinic provides evidence-based treatment for a variety of behavioral health issues, including individual and group therapy and consultation for anxiety, depression, substance use, health challenges, marital and family issues, and other types of emotional adjustment problems. The clinic is open limited hours during the week and provides referrals for patients requiring medication management or 24-hour crisis care as we are unable to serve those needs in the clinic. Fees are on a sliding scale and designed… Continue Reading Psychology Department Opens New Mental Health Clinic on South Campus

Psychology Associate Professor Shawn Bediako has received the 2014 “Champion Award” from the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA). The prestigious award is given annually to individuals who have made a significant impact in the sickle cell community. Bediako has done extensive research on sickle cell disease, including race and social attitudes and optimism and perceived stress. In addition to his research, Bediako is also engaged in several community-based projects and was selected in 2008 by Governor Martin O’Malley to serve on the Statewide Steering Committee on Comprehensive Services for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease, a committee that he has… Continue Reading Shawn Bediako, Psychology, Receives 2014 Champion Award from the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America

As Psychology Professor Robert Provine puts it, “yawning may have the dubious distinction of being the least understood, common human behavior.” A recent in depth story published in BBC Future attempts to answer the baffling question of why we yawn, and Provine, one of the leading experts in the field and author of Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond, is quoted extensively in the story. In the article, Provine discusses how contagious yawning is: “Around 50% of people who observe a yawn will yawn in response,” Provine said. “It is so contagious that anything associated with it will trigger one…seeing or… Continue Reading Robert Provine, Psychology, in BBC Future