#Education

A playful letter to an advice columnist highlights a common parenting dilemma: an 11-year-old girl wants a radical side-shave, and parents disagree on how to respond. The mother fears bullying, while the father believes in letting children learn from their choices. The standoff mirrors many Thai households grappling with self-expression, peer pressure, and social consequences.

Thai families understand the tension between supporting autonomy and guarding against harm. School environments in Thailand often blend peer dynamics with cultural expectations about appearance and conformity. National surveys indicate that bullying remains a concern for many students, with appearance-based teasing among the more visible forms of peer harassment.

Researchers are finding ADHD affects many life areas beyond attention and impulsivity.
A recent review of 12 new studies highlights effects on music habits, sex, brain anatomy, memory, creativity and mortality (PsyPost).

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition.
It causes inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that begin in childhood for many people.

The new findings matter for Thailand.
They show clinicians must look beyond classic symptoms when they assess patients.

One study found adults with ADHD listen to stimulating background music more often.
Researchers suggest music helps people self-regulate attention during study or exercise (PsyPost).

A major new study shows dopamine helps both quick thinking and slow habit learning.
The finding may change how clinicians and educators approach attention and learning.

The research tested two core brain systems for learning.
Those systems are working memory and reinforcement learning.

Working memory holds small amounts of information for short times.
Reinforcement learning builds habits through repeated feedback over time.

Dopamine is a key brain chemical for reward and movement.
Researchers measured how dopamine affects each learning system.

A popular parenting column described an 11-year-old girl who wants a side-shave haircut. (Slate reported the column and the family conflict.) (Slate column)

The column asked whether parents should let the child decide. (The advice columnist urged support with safeguards.) (Slate column)

The case matters for parents in Thailand. (Thai families also face school teasing and social pressure.) (UNESCO data shows peer violence in many countries.) (UNESCO report)

The central dilemma is simple to name. (Parents weigh a child’s autonomy against the risk of bullying.) (Experts call this a common parenting conflict.)

A growing medical understanding shows that drinking too much water during exercise can cause life-threatening hyponatremia. This issue matters for Thailand’s athletes, outdoor workers, and festival participants in the country’s hot, tropical climate.

In Thailand’s heat, hydration matters but must be balanced. Hyponatremia occurs when blood sodium falls below 135 mmol/L. Excess water dilutes sodium, causing cells to swell and triggering dizziness, confusion, headaches, or, in severe cases, seizures or coma. The condition can mimic dehydration, making timely diagnosis challenging outside medical settings.

A new wave of reporting highlights a long-running research finding.
Researchers report that people grow more emotionally mature as they age.

The finding matters for family life.
Thailand has a fast-aging population and shifting family roles.

Emotional maturity matters for health.
Longitudinal research ties everyday positive emotion to longer survival.

The Vogue article framed the public debate.
It explained emotional maturity in simple terms and cited experts (Vogue).

Researchers measured emotions over decades.
They sampled feelings five times a day across ten years in one landmark study.

A large, multi-site study involving nearly 300 participants across six North American laboratories casts doubt on the long-held assumption that music lessons universally enhance foundational auditory brain processing. For Thai families, teachers, and policymakers, the findings invite a reframed view of music education’s value beyond supposed cognitive transfer.

A rising belief among parents worldwide, including in Thailand, is that musical training strengthens the brain’s ability to process sounds. The new study directly tests this idea by examining frequency-following responses, neural signals produced by the brain’s earliest auditory centers. These signals reflect basic sound encoding and are rooted in subcortical structures.

The AI shift is redefining Thai higher education. In lecture halls and libraries, students and professors are adjusting to a generation for whom AI is a daily tool, not a novelty. This change promises to align Thailand’s universities with a global move toward tech-enabled learning and workplace readiness.

Lead with impact: A growing global trend shows that 71 percent of university students regularly use AI tools like ChatGPT. In Thailand, this quick adoption is reshaping study habits, evaluation methods, and the balance between coursework and work or family responsibilities. Data from Thai higher education studies indicate that English language tasks are a particular area where AI support is valued, reflecting Thailand’s increasingly international business landscape.

A landmark international study suggests that nearly one in three Thais are highly sensitive, a trait linked to greater risks of depression and anxiety. The finding invites a rethink of Thailand’s mental health services, education, and community support to better serve this substantial portion of society.

Sensitive personalities process stimuli more deeply and intensely. In Thai culture, values such as kreng jai (consideration for others) and social harmony heighten awareness of emotional nuance. Researchers note that high sensitivity is distinct from neuroticism or general anxiety, reflecting a cognitive-emotional trait that can be both challenging and empowering.

Thailand’s universities face an unprecedented transformation as artificial intelligence becomes as common as textbooks in lecture halls. What began as a technological curiosity has evolved into the defining characteristic of a generation that will reshape Thailand’s workforce and economy.

The Generation That Never Knew Life Without AI

Recent international research reveals a stunning reality: 71 percent of university students worldwide now use ChatGPT regularly, according to a comprehensive study spanning 109 countries and involving over 23,000 participants. This isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift that arrived faster than university administrators could adapt.

A remarkable convergence of scientific research and popular culture has illuminated one of humanity’s most hopeful findings: emotional maturity genuinely increases throughout most of adult life, bringing with it measurable benefits for longevity, relationship quality, and overall well-being. This discovery carries particular significance for Thailand’s rapidly aging population, where understanding the natural trajectory of emotional development could transform approaches to mental health, family relationships, and successful aging.

Recent landmark research tracking individuals across decades reveals that positive emotions become more frequent and stable as people age, reaching peak experiences during the mid-sixties before leveling off in very advanced age. This pattern represents far more than simple contentment with life circumstances—it reflects fundamental changes in how individuals process emotions, prioritize relationships, and navigate daily challenges.

The modern parenting dilemma crystallized in vivid detail when an advice columnist received a letter about an 11-year-old girl demanding a radical side-shave haircut. The mother worried about potential bullying while the father insisted their daughter should learn from her own choices, creating a family standoff that mirrors countless Thai households grappling with similar questions about children’s self-expression and social consequences.

The Universal Struggle Thai Families Know Well

For Thai parents, this scenario resonates deeply across cultural lines. School environments throughout Thailand present unique challenges where peer pressure intersects with traditional expectations about appearance and conformity. Recent national surveys reveal that nearly half of Thai students experience some form of bullying, with appearance-based teasing representing a significant portion of these incidents.

Researchers warn that organised scientific fraud now acts like an industry. (How bad science is becoming big business)

This trend threatens trust in evidence used in health and education. (How bad science is becoming big business)

The problem goes beyond lone bad actors. (How bad science is becoming big business)

Paper mills now sell fake papers and authorships as commercial products. (How bad science is becoming big business)

Brokerage services guarantee publication for a fee in some cases. (How bad science is becoming big business)

A compelling new academic essay bridges decades of rigorous scientific research with deeply personal experience, revealing how simple outdoor exposure can dramatically improve mental health outcomes. The work, authored by a University of Chicago psychology professor, combines memoir-style storytelling with empirical evidence to demonstrate nature’s profound therapeutic potential for addressing Thailand’s growing mental health crisis.

The Global Mental Health Emergency Reaches Thailand

International surveys reveal alarming increases in depression and anxiety disorders worldwide, with recent data showing 29 percent of American adults reporting clinical depression diagnoses. Thailand faces parallel challenges, with World Health Organization estimates indicating approximately 1.5 million Thai citizens currently experiencing depressive disorders.

A new popular essay links decades of research to personal experience about nature and mental health. (How We Can Improve Our Lives by Going Outside)

The essay describes a psychologist’s life moment and research findings. (How We Can Improve Our Lives by Going Outside)

The story matters because mental illness is rising worldwide. A Gallup survey found 29 percent of US adults report a depression diagnosis. (U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Highs - Gallup News)

A new, rigorously reviewed essay connects decades of research with personal experience to show how simple outdoor exposure can boost mental health. Written by a psychology professor from a leading university, the piece blends memoir-style storytelling with evidence to illustrate nature’s therapeutic potential for Thailand’s rising mental health concerns.

Thailand Faces a Mental Health Challenge

Global surveys show rising depression and anxiety worldwide. In the United States, about 29 percent of adults report clinical depression. In Thailand, data from public health sources indicate around 1.5 million people experiencing depressive disorders. Thai youth are especially affected; national health checks reveal widespread stress among students, and university studies indicate elevated depression rates nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these issues, underscoring the need for practical, evidence-based interventions.

A new wave of sophisticated academic fraud now threatens Thailand’s research credibility and public health. Experts warn that Thai universities and hospitals face challenges that could alter treatment guidelines, education policy, and tourism strategy if left unchecked.

Leading researchers describe a global fraud ecosystem that transforms plagiarism into a commercial service. Paper mills produce fake studies and sell authorships as ready-made products, often with fabricated data and convincing analytics. These operations cloak themselves with labels like publication consulting and manuscript enhancement, creating an illusion of legitimacy.

A sophisticated network of academic fraud now operates like a commercial enterprise, putting Thailand’s research credibility and public health at unprecedented risk

Scientific misconduct has evolved beyond isolated incidents of researcher dishonesty into a thriving global industry that threatens to undermine decades of progress in evidence-based medicine and education policy. Leading research integrity experts warn that Thailand’s academic institutions now face an existential challenge that could compromise everything from hospital treatment protocols to national education strategies.

Thai office workers and university students often grab nearby tasks and finish them immediately, even when it costs more time and effort. New psychological research explains this behavior, known as precrastination—the urge to complete subtasks early. For Thai workplaces, schools, and mental health services, understanding this bias matters, especially where cultural norms prize prompt action.

The study traces precrastination to a genuine cognitive bias that appears when the effort required remains low. This aligns with Thai cultural values that emphasize diligence and responsibility, yet also highlights the potential for unnecessary physical and mental strain in fast-paced environments.

A major new study finds that the brain chemical dopamine helps the mind use two different learning systems at once: the fast, effortful working memory that solves new problems quickly, and the slow reinforcement-learning system that builds habits over time. The international team combined PET brain scans, a cognitive task designed to separate working memory from reinforcement learning, and drug challenges with methylphenidate and sulpiride in 100 healthy adults to show that natural dopamine production and drugs that change dopamine signaling differently shift how people learn and value effort (Nature Communications study). The findings help explain why some people prefer mentally demanding strategies and why stimulants can selectively speed habit-like trial-and-error learning (PsyPost coverage).

A new international study reshapes how we understand learning by showing dopamine fuels two distinct systems: fast, problem-solving via working memory and gradual, practice-based reinforcement learning. The findings hold important implications for Thai classrooms, families managing ADHD, and policymakers shaping student support.

Researchers used advanced imaging and controlled stimulant challenges to study 100 healthy adults. They examined how natural dopamine production and methylphenidate affect different learning strategies. The results offer actionable guidance for Thailand’s education sector and health professionals.

Mounting scientific evidence reveals that the most accessible route to enhanced cognitive performance may be one already available to everyone: quality sleep. Leading neuroscientists demonstrate that sleep transcends simple energy restoration—it actively consolidates memories, eliminates metabolic brain waste, and strengthens neural pathways underlying problem-solving and creativity. This means improving sleep habits could boost academic performance and workplace productivity in ways that brief “brain training” applications cannot match, according to specialized neuroscience research interviews and comprehensive sleep studies.

A growing body of research and firsthand reports suggests an unsettling pattern: students who leave high school with solid grades are arriving at university underprepared for the academic demands of college. A Slate parenting column that opened with a family’s struggle — where a daughter with strong high‑school marks lost her scholarship after a difficult first semester and a sibling now faces uncertainty — reflects a wider trend educators and researchers are sounding the alarm about (Slate advice column). ( There’s an Alarming Trend Happening at Our Kids’ High School. I Need to Stop It. )

Recent international research shows dopamine, the brain’s key chemical messenger, shapes learning through two pathways. One rapidly boosts effortful working-memory strategies, while the other enhances slower, trial-and-error reinforcement learning when dopamine is elevated. The study combined brain imaging with ADHD medications and sophisticated models to reveal that an individual’s dopamine production predicts learning preferences. Methylphenidate (Ritalin) boosts incremental learning, while certain antipsychotics can reduce reliance on working memory.

Implications for Thai Education and Health Systems