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.

Building Immunity to "Emotional Pollution":
Do you ever feel like you're surrounded by negativity? Do people, media, and the Internet make you feel lots of things you'd rather not feel? Well, you're not alone. Emotions are more contagious than any virus. That's because the human emotional system is socially oriented. Early humans connected and communicated with each other by emotional display, long before the development of language. Emotions held us together then and hold us together now. Full article.

Allowing Others the Freedom to Change:
Most readers of an article on relationships will be interested in some level of personal change. We may want better relationships, to change an old pattern or habit, to develop better attitudes, or to learn something new. In pursuing these change goals, we typically want, if not expect, others to support us and give us the freedom and emotional space to make our adjustments. But how many of us are willing to allow others the freedom to change themselves? If a politician changes a position she had previous argued for, she may be accused of being a “flip flopper.” The argument is typically made that the person is not to be trusted, is being manipulative, or has a hidden agenda. Because of the political fallout, the system surrounding politicians provides an incentive not to change—to maintain the status quo no matter what. Full article.

Boiling Mad? It Might Not Be Anger After All:
Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar, as Freud may or may not have said. That is, sometimes anger is just anger. You’re annoyed or aggravated, because you’re genuinely annoyed or aggravated. But other times, anger sits on the surface while other emotions and past experiences swim underneath. According to Chris Boyd, a psychotherapist in Vancouver, these underlying emotions might include: “fear, shame, rejection, exhaustion, embarrassment, stress, disappointment, powerlessness, envy, sadness and grief.” Stephanie Dobbin, LMFT, CGP, is a relationship and group psychotherapist who specializes in helping busy healthcare professionals have happier relationships and less stress. She regularly sees partners criticizing each other and blowing up over seemingly small things. When they start digging deeper, they realize that each of them actually feels lonely and disconnected. Each of them longs to be appreciated and seen. Full article.

Mouse Study: Deep Sleep Helps the Brain Wash Away Toxic Proteins:
Deep sleep allows the brain to wash away waste and toxic proteins more efficiently, according to a new mouse study published in the journal Science Advances. The new findings shed light on previous evidence linking Alzheimer’s disease with aging and sleep deprivation. “Sleep is critical to the function of the brain’s waste removal system and this study shows that the deeper the sleep, the better,” said Maiken Nedergaard, MD, DMSc, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and lead author of the study. “These findings also add to the increasingly clear evidence that quality of sleep or sleep deprivation can predict the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia.” The study suggests that the slow and steady brain and cardiopulmonary activity linked to deep non-REM sleep are optimal for the function of the glymphatic system, the brain’s waste removal system. The findings may also explain why some forms of anesthesia can result in cognitive dysfunction in older adults. Full article.

Science Says Today’s Girls Are More Anxious Than Ever:
Parents worry that their daughters constantly seem pressured and stressed. Turns out, most are. Studies show an alarming increase in the anxiety and stress experienced by girls starting at age 10 and through college. If you have a daughter, you know: They are under enormous pressure to do well in school, to be socially engaged and accepted, to look good — any one of which can at times cause what feels like crippling stress or anxiety. Full article.