Findings surprise social psychologists

Older adults living in counties with greater age bias had better health outcomes than those living in areas with less age bias, according to University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers, who were surprised at the findings.

“Quite the opposite of what we expected emerged,” says Allecia Reid, associate professor of social psychology and senior author of the paper published in the journal Social Science & Medicine. “Rather than dying earlier in counties with more negative attitudes toward older adults, we found in fact that older adults were living longer in counties with more negative attitudes towards older adults.”

Five-year, $1.91 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will explore optimizing tissue regeneration by incorporating biological rhythms in lab studies

UMass Amherst epidemiologist Lisa Chasan-Taber, along with neuroscientist collaborators Rebecca Spencer and Jerrold Meyer, will continue research that aims to understand how physical and mental health during pregnancy can help predict cardiovascular and mental health disorders in middle age.

On Oct. 6th, PBS held a social event for faculty and staff celebrating some of our great accomplishments over the past two years. Department members were honored for years of service milestones, newly awarded tenure, promotions, and awards of excellence received from UMass Amherst and beyond. This was an wonderful opportunity to get together, catch up, and congratulate each other on all we have achieved during a challenging few years. Here's to another awesome year in PBS!