Congratulations to Dr. David Almeida, Center for Healthy Aging investigator and professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State, on receiving the 2025 Faculty Scholar Medal for Social and Behavioral Sciences!
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Partner support is an invaluable resource for people dealing with chronic pain, but a new study from researchers in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies demonstrated that relationship closeness for couples in which one partner is dealing with chronic back pain may have both positive and negative effects. This understanding could...
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People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms often have trouble communicating and resolving relationship difficulties with their romantic partners, according to previous research by Steffany Fredman, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, and others. In a new study, Fredman and others have found...
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Penn State researchers have discovered that food insecurity in adults aged 65+ is associated with unhealthy weight patterns that can lead to earlier mortality.
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New Penn State research finds that the type of tissue sample matters when measuring a person’s biological age, or how well their body is functioning.
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New research from Dr. Zita Oravecz, associate professor at Penn State, explores how expressing love in daily life influences our well-being. Findings suggest that the more we express love, such as through small acts of kindness or spending quality time with loved ones, the more we feel loved in return.
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Parents who endured difficult childhoods gave an average of $2,200 less for their children’s college education than those raised in more privileged circumstances.
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A midday walk or household chores may improve cognitive processing speed equivalent to being four years younger, according to a new study.
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A new study from the Penn State College of Health and Human Development reveals a complex, short-term relationship between loneliness and cognitive performance in older adults. Using smartphone-based data collection, participants aged 70-90 reported feelings of loneliness and completed cognitive tests multiple times a day. These insights highlight...
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For some people, extreme stressors like psychiatric disorders or childhood neglect and abuse can lead to a range of health problems later in life, including depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease. A new study led by researchers in the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging identified genetic indicators that can predict another health problem...
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Nikki Crowley, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and assistant professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, has been named a Women to Watch: Class of 2023 as part of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts’ Women in STEAM Awards. The Whitaker Center, located in Harrisburg...
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The Social Science Research Institute welcomes three new co-funded faculty members: Cleothia Franzier, Nicole Kriesberg and Nelson Roque.
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Dr. David Almeida spoke to Penn State undergraduate student Kassi Bradburn regarding Dr. Almeida's decades-long research on the role that daily stressors play in the lives of people across the lifespan. Check out the June 25th Tracking Traits podcast to learn about the health effects of stress as we age!
Millions of Americans over the age of 65 lack access to the social and emotional support they need for healthy aging, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Non-white individuals in rural communities are especially susceptible. New research from Penn State found that the presence of social infrastructure — shared community...
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Seed grant awarded to PI, Dr. Larry Cheng (ENG), Dr. Orfeu Buxton (BBH), and Dr. Jonathan Hakun (Neurology, COM) from the Center for Human Evolution and Diversity (CHED) entitled "Multi-modal sensor technology and machine learning approaches for evaluating brain health in older adults.”
The Center for Human Evolution and Diversity (CHED) promotes...
There is growing evidence that cognitive decline and dementia can be slowed. According to a recent report commissioned by the Lancet, an estimated 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by targeting modifiable behavioral, physical health, and psychosocial risk factors. There are also new drug therapies being created, behavioral...
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Psychosocial and Neighborhood Mechanisms and Consequences of Black-White Sleep Disparities on Cognition
Black-White differences have been observed in cognitive performance and risk for cognitive impairment, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Few studies have examined how sleep may further explain these disparities,...
Dr. Johnny Felt, postdoctoral scholar with the Center for Healthy Aging, was announced as a poster winner at The Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research Conference which took place on September 2-3, 2021.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether measuring epigenetic age at midlife could identify those at risk for...
