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Department News

Can bad weather really cause headaches?

In this article, Professor Amanda Ellison explores the connection between headaches and the weather, and explains how to reduce the impact that headaches have on our daily lives.
Student listening in a lecture

Impact of ultra-thin dolls on girls’ body image

What was your favourite childhood toy? A car? A teddy bear? A doll? Many of us have fond memories of playing with dolls: dressing them up, combing their hair or doing some kind of role play with other toys. But new research shows that playing with ultra-thin dolls could make young girls want a thinner body.

Celebrating International Women's Day 2021

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.

Fetuses react to taste and smell in the womb

Our psychologists have shown the first direct evidence that babies react differently to various smells and tastes while in the womb by looking at their facial expressions.
4-D ultrasound scan of a baby showing a laugh face reaction

March 2021 News Bulletin

We’ve made it to the end of Epiphany Term! We know that Year 3s will be working furiously on their dissertations, and everyone will be revising for exams soon, but take a minute to congratulate yourself on all that you’ve accomplished during this unique academic year.

New RIOT Science Club seminars

We now have a Durham RIOT Science Club, which is part of a RIOTS network supported by UKRN. This network organises talks and seminars to share Reproducible, Interpretable, Open & Transparent Science practices.
RIOT Science Club Durham logo

December 2020 News Bulletin

A round up of news across our department this month.
A child taking part in a Developmental Psychology practical.

October 2020 News Bulletin

A round up of news across our department this month.
Two students working together on laptop

New role will see Durham expert guiding the field of Health Psychology

We’re celebrating the news that Professor Fuschia Sirois from our Department of Psychology has been appointed as joint Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Health Psychology, a journal of the British Psychological Society.
Image showing Professor Fuschia Sirois

Understanding early human cave art

A psychological phenomenon where people see meaningful forms in random patterns, such as seeing faces in clouds, may have stimulated early humans to make cave art.
A Palaeolithic painting of an aurochs from the cave of La Pasiega. The artist traced the natural cracks in the cave wall when painting the head, horns, and back leg of the animal

Transforming Our Understanding of Voice-Hearing

Durham University researchers are changing the way people think about experiences of hearing voices.

Helping People With Partial Blindness

Award-winning research by psychologists at Durham University has led to the development of a new app to help with the rehabilitation of people with partial visual loss following brain injury.