Welcome to the Weekly Medius PsychNews. Every week, we select five thought-provoking Psychology articles from hundreds published in journals and other media. Psychology Drives Everything.

3 Critical Signs of Burnout:
Years ago, I was diagnosed with depression during my Emergency Medicine residency. Given that I was experiencing increasing levels of despair and hopelessness, I believe that diagnosis was partially correct. When I look back, though, I can also see that severe burnout was part of the picture. (Researchers Iacovides et al. have pointed out that the two conditions can overlap.) At the time, unfortunately, no one saw or addressed the burnout. Full article.

Yes, We Become More Introverted as We Get Older:
People tell me all the time: “I’ve gotten more introverted as I’ve gotten older.” On many levels, the same is true for me. In high school and college, it was normal for me to spend almost every Friday and Saturday night out with friends (even though as an introvert, it often drained me). Now, in my 30s, the perfect weekend is one with zero social plans. And I'm not the only one who's slowed down a bit. Even my very extroverted childhood friend is more content to spend the night in, hanging out with her family. In fact, she and I hardly ever go out anymore. Full article.

The physiological stress response is larger in the morning than evening:
When’s the best time of day to give someone bad news? First thing in the morning or early evening? Yes, if it’s in the morning, they have longer to work out what to do about it, but you might be better off plumping for the evening because according to a new study, published open-access in Neuropsychopharmacology, they’re likely to suffer less of a physiological stress response at this time. If a threat – whether physical or psychological – doesn’t quickly vanish, communication between a trio of brain regions – the hypothalamus, the pituitary glands and the adrenal cortex (known collectively as the HPA axis) – causes, among other things, an increase in levels of the hormone cortisol, which triggers the release of glucose, for energy, into the bloodstream. This stress response effectively provides our muscles with extra fuel to fight or flee. Full article.

15 Signs of an Anxious Introvert:
Anxiety is the voice in the back of your head that says, “Something bad is going to happen.” It’s what keeps you awake at 2 a.m. thinking about something embarrassing you did five years ago. Not all introverts have anxiety, and extroverts and ambiverts can struggle with it, too. To be clear, introversion and anxiety aren’t the same thing. Introversion is a preference for calm, minimally stimulating environments, while anxiety is a general term for disorders that cause excessive fear, worrying, and nervousness. Still, for many introverts, anxiety is a regular part of their lives. And indeed, anxiety is more common among introverts than extroverts, according to Dr. Laurie Helgoe. Full article.

5 Reasons Why the Most Arrogant People Find Success:
Raise your hand if you like arrogant people. Just as I figured — no hands! Hey, I’m with you: I have worked with a lot of people, and over the years, I have come to truly believe that there is at least a splash of good in each and every person, and that we all have a ticket on the same ride. I try to be forgiving, and I try to respect others as best I can. This said, if there is one quality in others that gets my goat, it is arrogance. In an article summarizing a provocative set of studies, Johnson, Silverman, Shyamsunder, Swee, Rodopman, Cho, and Bauer (2010) define arrogance as “stable belief of superiority and exaggerated self-importance that are manifested with excessive and presumptuous claims.” Full article.