A long-held view is that compulsive behaviors involve individuals getting stuck in a "habit loop" that overrides self-control ...

Out-of-control sexual behaviors have existed throughout history, yet their official recognition only came much later. Some of the old terms you might have heard include satyriasis, nymphomania, and ...

In a recent article published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers performed longitudinal studies in rats to measure the sensitivity of early established versus compulsive polydipsic alcohol (or water ...

Why do some people keep making the same harmful choices, even when they know better? A global study has revealed three distinct decision-making types and why punishment doesn’t work for everyone. When ...

Body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) is when a person compulsively engages in body-focused habits, such as skin picking, cheek chewing, hair pulling, and similar. It is difficult for people to stop ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are ...

Opioid users with and without addiction demonstrated significantly greater learning from negative reinforcement. Individuals with chronic opioid use, whether addicted or not, show heightened learning ...