psychology

"Like peacock feathers, music is used by humans to attract mates and we've been writing love songs for centuries," said music psychologist Dr Sandra Garrido of the University of Western Sydney.

Given these days we have access to such an unprecedented range of music styles, as part of ABC Classic FM's celebration of the music of passion and heartbreak, we're asking: can science help you decide what music will get you in the mood?

But having spoken to several over the years, I now can.

Some readers may find the concepts in this article confronting.

Many were damaged as children, and while that is no excuse, healing that damage may be the most effective way to prevent the sexual abuse of children.

You might find this approach scandalous, or think that I'm supportive or lenient or condoning the abuse of children. I am not.

I am not an apologist for anyone who hurts, or even thinks about hurting, a child.

Each category can involve in an all-black ensemble.

Over the past 50 to 100 years, the color black has gone through a major transition, according to Leatrice Eiseman, color specialist and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Black has gradually made its way from being a color associated with grief and morbidity to one known as a fashion staple that radiates sophistication, she said.

"It has that kind of weight attached to it ... that now brings a sense of power to the color ... beyond just funerals and grief and widows' weeds," Eiseman said.

Either way, most people have vivid memories of their first serious relationship, Deakin University associate professor of psychology Gery Karantzas said.

"One thing that makes memories so vivid for us is the amount of emotion that is experienced during the creation of that memory," he told ABC Radio Melbourne's Ali Moore.

Their survey revealed the younger the first viewing occurred, the more likely a male was to want power over women.

While if they were older, they were more likely to be sexually promiscuous.

Of the 330 undergraduates surveyed, with a median age of 20, the average age they first saw pornography was 13.

The youngest was only five, while the oldest was 26.

The unpublished findings were presented at a convention in Washington.

Playboy lifestyle

Or maybe it is you.

Five to 10 per cent of the population qualify as psychopathic, according to David Gillespie, author of Taming Toxic People: The Science of Identifying and Dealing With Psychopaths At Work and At Home.

A study last year found the rate could be as high as 20 per cent among corporate leaders.

She was found wandering in a car park, highly agitated, by a family who took her home and made her their live-in pet. However, after three months they could no longer keep her.

She was relocated to the Sugarshine animal sanctuary, outside Lismore in New South Wales. Kelly Nelder, Sugarshine's founder and a mental health nurse, described her as "highly strung" and "needy".

But some behaviours can be more worrying than others, and it is hard to know when to call on professional help.

Psychologist and neuroscientist Charlotte Keating said it was understandable that parents were sometimes reticent to take their child to see a therapist.

"There's that fear that you'll make it a bigger problem if you treat it as a problem," she told ABC Radio Melbourne's Clare Bowditch.

But waiting till the pre-teen "sex talk" to start teaching young people about consent is far from ideal.

Sexual consent is the seeking and giving of permission for a sex act. It must be a clear communication of "yes, I want this" and not merely the absence of "no".

The good news is you can start teaching kids about consent from a very young age, without confronting discussions about rape or sexual violation.

But the effect could be even more significant.

In research recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, our research team shows that the stereotype that a given society has of a first name can influence the way people look.

In eight studies, we found that participants shown ID-style photos of people they'd never met were able to recognise the first name of the depicted person well above the chance level.