#Education

A recent psychology study shows that parenting styles—especially cold, abusive, or overly controlling approaches—can leave lasting effects into adulthood. The research links early family environments to later emotional, social, and work-related challenges through traits like conscientiousness.

For Thai families and policymakers, these findings matter. Traditional parental authority and family cohesion remain influential in Thai culture. Understanding how early experiences shape skills such as adaptability, teamwork, and emotional regulation can guide supportive programs for youth nationwide.

A thought-provoking new report published on July 6, 2025, by a leading behavioral expert in Psychology Today reveals that we are all born with certain innate dispositions—what the author calls “basic humanity”—and, as we grow, we learn to navigate or sometimes contradict these primal instincts. The research calls attention to the fundamental and often conflicting drives that shape us as humans and offers essential insights into how these inner tensions influence personal well-being and social behavior.

A spate of summer holidays and the growing challenge of accessible childcare have reignited debate among parents and policymakers: how young is too young to leave a child alone at home? A recent analysis based on Florida guidance, echoed in national recommendations, is drawing attention abroad—and raises important considerations for Thai families facing similar modern realities. According to a recent Miami Herald report, while Florida does not set a legal minimum age for children to stay home alone, state guidance and expert organizations generally recommend children under age 12 should not be left unsupervised, with those aged 12 and above suitable for short stints alone if they have shown maturity and preparedness.

A recent international study confirms a simple insight many Thai educators have long sensed: feeling good can improve memory, even with material that is dry or dull. Led by researchers from Hangzhou Normal University and Nanjing Normal University, the study shows that positive emotions during learning enhance recall later on. This could influence teaching strategies for students, teachers, and lifelong learners in Thailand.

The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, tracked brain activity in 44 participants as they viewed neutral squiggles. Each squiggle was paired with images designed to evoke positive, negative, or neutral emotions. When memory was tested a day later, only the squiggles linked to positive emotions were reliably remembered. Squiggles associated with neutral or negative feelings were largely forgotten.

As Thailand’s youth increasingly turn to their screens for social connection and self-expression, new research reveals a troubling link between excessive smartphone and social media use and the surge in mental health problems among young people. National statistics and leading academic studies confirm that anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even suicidality are rising at alarming rates, raising urgent questions about how Thai society can protect its next generation from what experts call a digital health emergency.

A new wave of research shows Thailand’s Gen Z spends long hours online, and heavy screen time is linked to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even suicidality. Thai researchers and national statistics converge on a critical question: how can communities shield the next generation from a digital health emergency?

An influential editorial, Saving Our Kids from Scrolling to Death, highlights how smartphones and online platforms shape today’s youth. This view aligns with international findings and Thailand’s own data, underscoring a global shift with local consequences.

A surge in after-school care planning and rising childcare costs is prompting families to rethink when children are ready to be left at home. A recent analysis based on Florida guidelines has sparked international discussion and offers lessons for Thai households navigating after-school routines, holiday supervision, and affordable care options.

In the United States, there is no nationwide minimum age for staying home alone. State guidance and child-safety organizations generally advise against leaving younger children unsupervised. In Florida, authorities suggest that children under 12 should not be left alone, while those aged 12 and older may manage short periods if they show maturity and preparedness. This reflects a broader belief that age alone does not guarantee safety.

A growing number of child psychologists are urging Thai schools to expand graduation honors beyond academic excellence. As Thailand aims to boost learning outcomes and student wellbeing, experts say current traditions may overlook important achievements and contribute to student stress.

Globally and in Thailand, end-of-year awards often spotlight grades. However, many specialists warn this narrow focus can dampen motivation for the majority who work hard but may not be top of the class. In discussions with major Thai education networks, experts note that recognizing improvements, leadership, cooperation, and community service could nurture a healthier, more inclusive school culture.

In a recent analysis published by Forbes, a psychologist has shed new light on the two dramatic extremes in the spectrum of romantic relationships—intensely obsessive love, known as love mania, and a debilitating fear of love itself, described as philophobia. These findings are shaping contemporary understanding of how individuals relate to intimacy, with wide-ranging implications for mental health professionals and everyday people alike (Forbes.com).

For Thai readers, where cultural ideals often emphasise harmonious relationships and filial piety, this research is a timely reminder that the psychological underpinnings of love can be as complex as they are universal. In a society that values family cohesion and long-term commitment, understanding the extremes of emotional attachment—and detachment—may offer important insights for navigating everything from romantic partnerships to friendship and kinship.

A large study of more than 3,000 young people in Hong Kong reveals a notable link between skipping breakfast and higher depressive symptoms. The researchers tracked daily routines among youths aged 15 to 24 and found that breakfast skippers reported greater impulsivity and more pronounced depressive symptoms, while anxiety showed a weaker association.

Nutrition and mental health experts have long emphasized the value of a morning meal. This study is among the largest to connect breakfast habits with mental health indicators in Asian youths. For Thai readers, where breakfast stretches from rice porridge and noodle soups to fried snacks, the findings illuminate how traditional eating patterns interact with emotional well-being—an issue gaining urgency as busy lifestyles spread across Thailand.

Universities worldwide are rapidly reimagining computer science education as generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as ChatGPT reshape what future graduates need to know and how they will work. This transformation, driven by rapid advances in AI capable of writing code and performing mid-level software engineering tasks, has ignited a debate among educators about what the foundations of computer science should be in an era where machines can increasingly automate what students traditionally learn (nytimes.com).

Every graduation season, schools across the world celebrate student achievement with a flurry of awards—most of which continue to focus narrowly on academic excellence. But a tide of new research and calls from child psychology experts is putting pressure on education systems to expand their definition of success, warning that the traditional model may be doing students more harm than good (CTV News, CP24). As Thailand seeks to boost learning outcomes and student wellbeing, these insights offer timely lessons for Thai educators, policymakers, and parents.

A new analysis examines two dramatic ends of romantic attachment: obsessive love, or mania, and philophobia, a deep fear of intimacy. The discussion, highlighted in Forbes, suggests these extremes shape how people experience closeness and how professionals support healthier connections.

For Thai readers, where family cohesion and filial duties are highly valued, the study offers timely insight into how universal the psychology of love can be. In a culture that prizes long-term commitments and respectful partnerships, understanding both intense attachment and avoidance helps navigate romance, friendships, and family ties with greater empathy and balance.

A recent study has found a notable association between skipping breakfast and elevated depressive symptoms among young people—a relationship that sheds new light on how daily routines may influence mental health. The research, conducted with over 3,000 Hong Kong youths and published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, points to subtle yet measurable links between breakfast habits, impulsivity, and mental wellbeing, especially among those aged 15 to 24 (psypost.org).

Dieticians and mental health experts have long emphasized the importance of breakfast, but this study is one of the largest to specifically connect meal-skipping with psychological symptoms in Asian youth. For Thai readers, whose breakfast culture ranges from modest rice porridge to noodle soups and fried treats, these findings highlight the intersection between traditional eating habits and mental health—a subject growing in relevance as lifestyles become busier across Thailand.

A global shift is reshaping computer science curricula as generative AI takes on coding tasks and mid‑level software work. In this new landscape, educators are asking which foundations truly prepare students for a future where machines handle much of traditional learning.

For Thailand, the change is consequential. Computer science underpins digital transformation, job prospects, and policy goals. If international standards evolve, Thailand must adapt its workforce development and education system. The message from Thai and international educators is clear: knowing programming languages alone may not guarantee a strong career. Students need broader capabilities—computational thinking, AI literacy, and clear communication—to stay competitive as AI accelerates software development across sectors.

A new national picture confirms a familiar pattern: late September births cluster strongly. This trend isn’t random. It reflects how family planning, social routine, and seasonal factors intersect.

For Thai readers, the pattern matters beyond trivia. Parental choices—shaped by auspicious dates, school cutoffs, and costs—affect educational outcomes and childcare planning in Thailand and abroad. The timing of a child’s birth can influence classroom dynamics, access to opportunities, and long-term planning for education.

A surge of birthdays in late September has been confirmed once again by the latest analysis of national birth records, reinforcing the widely shared experience among many that they share their special day with classmates and colleagues. This uneven clustering of birthdays sheds light on how family planning, social trends, and even weather patterns intertwine to shape the calendar of our lives.

For Thai readers, understanding these trends presents more than an interesting trivia point—it reflects on how educational outcomes, economic choices, and cultural beliefs about auspicious dates play crucial roles both in the UK and potentially here at home. As parents make decisions about when to have children, the statistical heartbeat of the year is shaped by factors rooted in both tradition and practicality.

A groundbreaking new study has captured international attention, suggesting that what humans perceive in the present moment is actually a snapshot from up to 15 seconds in the past. This fascinating finding challenges longstanding assumptions about how the brain processes visual information and could have far-reaching implications for cognitive science, education, and even the design of safety protocols in everyday life (Times of India).

The research, conducted by a team of neuroscientists and recently highlighted in the international press, explores the mechanics of the brain’s ‘visual buffer’—a mental process where the brain accumulates and merges visual stimuli over a period of time. According to the study, rather than updating our internal picture of the world from instant to instant, our brains synthesize the last several seconds of visual inputs to create a stable, coherent scene. As a result, our conscious perception lags behind real-time events by approximately 15 seconds.

A recent study in Evolutionary Psychological Science shows that everyday illness-related noises—such as coughing and sniffling—can hinder learning even when they are not overtly distracting. The brain may be hardwired to detect illness signals, pulling attention away from tasks that require memory and problem solving. While the experiment took place with U.S. undergraduates, its implications are clear for Thai classrooms, offices, and study spaces as Thailand strengthens public health awareness and aims for better learning environments.

Mental health is increasingly understood as more than an individual issue. Relationships and social context play a central role in wellbeing. This perspective invites Thailand to rethink care in schools, workplaces, and communities.

Traditionally, psychology has treated the mind as separate from the body and surroundings. This view, rooted in long-standing theories, has shaped mental health systems worldwide, including in Thailand. Many diagnoses emphasize internal conflicts and cognitive patterns over the social web in which people live.

A growing wave of psychological research and theory is turning the spotlight away from the individual mind and highlighting the profound impact of relationships on mental health. New arguments from the field of relational psychology challenge the traditional view that mental disorders are rooted solely within the individual, calling for a social and interpersonal understanding of mental wellbeing—a perspective with sweeping implications for how Thai society approaches mental health care.

A mere three minutes of slow, controlled breathing can significantly enhance a person’s ability to manage their emotional reactions, according to groundbreaking research published in Psychological Reports. The study, detailed in a recent report by PsyPost, demonstrates that this brief breathing exercise not only soothes negative feelings in the moment but also makes it easier for individuals to consciously regulate their emotional responses—offering potential benefits for mental health and daily stress management PsyPost.

A new study reveals that what we perceive as the present may lag real-time events by up to 15 seconds. This challenges traditional views of vision and has implications for education, safety, and cognitive science. Neuroscience researchers describe the brain’s visual buffer as merging recent stimuli into a stable image, creating a natural lag between events and conscious experience. The mind effectively uses a rolling average of input to maintain continuity, but this comes at the cost of precise timing.

A new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science has discovered that everyday sounds—such as coughing and sniffling—could significantly undermine one’s ability to learn, even when these noises are not perceived as especially distracting. This research highlights how the human brain is evolutionarily wired to detect potential signs of illness, potentially drawing attention away from important academic or professional tasks. Conducted among undergraduates in the United States, the findings are being discussed worldwide and may have profound implications for classrooms, offices, and other shared environments in Thailand, especially as the nation grapples with evolving public health awareness and the demands for effective learning environments (psypost.org).