Monetary rewards for healthy behavior can pay off both in the pocketbook and in positive psychological factors like internal motivation, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.  While programs involving monetary incentives to encourage healthy behavior have become more popular in recent years, the evidence has been mixed as to how they can be most effective and how participants fare once the incentives stop, said CU-Boulder doctoral student Casey Gardiner, who led the new study.

Monetary incentives for healthy behavior can pay off, says CU study

April 1, 2016

Monetary rewards for healthy behavior can pay off both in the pocketbook and in positive psychological factors like internal motivation, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study. While programs involving monetary incentives to encourage healthy behavior have become more popular in recent years, the evidence has been mixed as to how they can be most effective and how participants fare once the incentives stop, said CU-Boulder doctoral student Casey Gardiner, who led the new study.

a person meditating

CU-Boulder researchers examine compassionate behaviorā€™s ā€˜active ingredientsā€™

March 29, 2016

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a quantitative framework for predicting compassionate behavior, a significant step forward in the quest to identify the key psychological processes underlying human compassion.

Many types of energy drinks stacked in cans

Adolescent caffeine use may heighten anxiety risk, CU-Boulder study finds

March 23, 2016

New research may cause parents to think twice before letting their kids drink energy drinks or grande lattes. A University of Colorado Boulder study suggests that consumption of caffeine puts adolescents at risk of suffering anxiety-related jitters long after they stop ingesting it.

An albatross in flight

Hop, skip and a jump: CU-Boulder researchers reveal molecular search patterns

March 6, 2016

Like an albatross scanning for pods of squid in a vast ocean, molecules on solid surfaces move in an intermittent search pattern that provides maximum efficiency, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Overall US crime rates unaffected by so-called ā€˜Ferguson effect,ā€™ CU-Boulder-led study finds

Feb. 4, 2016

A new study finds no evidence of a widespread surge in total, violent or property crime in large U.S. cities in the aftermath of the highly publicized police shooting of Michael Brown. But the research does show the overall rate of robberies across the country has increased, as has the murder rate in certain cities.

marshmallows

Trust in adults affects childrenā€™s willingness to delay gratification, CU-Boulder study finds

Feb. 2, 2016

A childā€™s perception of an adultā€™s trustworthiness can affect his or her willingness to resist a small, immediately available reward in order to obtain a larger reward later, a new University of Colorado Boulder study has discovered.

Independent report on 2013 school shooting identifies lessons learned

Jan. 18, 2016

The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado Boulder today released an independent fact-finding report examining the events and circumstances leading to the 2013 fatal shooting at Arapahoe High School and offering recommendations for improvements in school safety.

salmonella bacteria under a microscope

Light-activated nanoparticles prove effective against antibiotic-resistant ā€œsuperbugsā€

Jan. 18, 2016

In the ever-escalating evolutionary battle with drug-resistant bacteria, humans may soon have a leg up thanks to adaptive, light-activated nanotherapy developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Salmonella, E. Coli and Staphylococcus infect some 2 million people and kill at least 23,000 people in the United States each year. Efforts to thwart these so-called ā€œsuperbugsā€ have consistently fallen short due to the bacteriaā€™s ability to rapidly adapt and develop immunity to common antibiotics such as penicillin.

Pregnant woman meditating

Mindfulness training more effective against postpartum depression than conventional methods, CU-Boulder study says

Jan. 11, 2016

Pregnant and postpartum women at risk of depression are less likely to suffer depression when they meditate or get in a yoga pose than when they are treated with psychotherapy or antidepressants, a new study led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers has found.

Bacteria present in the human gut as seen under a microscope.

Early-life exercise alters gut microbes, promotes healthy brain and metabolism

Dec. 29, 2015

The human gut harbors a teeming menagerie of over 100 trillion microorganisms and exercising early in life can alter that microbial community for the better, promoting healthier brain and metabolic activity over the course of a lifetime.

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