Be Boring.
No! Say it ain’t so! The Overcoming Bias blog has this study from the Journal of Experimental Psychology that shows that interesting details interfere with learning:
… Read the rest “Be Boring.”In both experiments,
psychology
Nature Deficit Disorder?
Seed contributor Jonah Lehrer posts to Scienceblogs about the brain-boosting effects of a stroll in the woods:
… Read the rest “Nature Deficit Disorder?”Because you can’t help but stop and notice the reddish orange twilight
No, Really.
Scientific American reports on the psychology of sarcasm and on new studies that suggest irony is hardwired into our brains:
… Read the rest “No, Really.”In one experiment, [Penny M. Pexman of the University of Calgary
Baby, It’s Cold Outside.
The LA Times reports on a new psychological study in Science that proves something we all probably take for granted – that warmth is more than skin deep:
… Read the rest “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”To their surprise, they found
Terror warnings undermine conservative candidates.
PhysOrg enters the presidential fray with a new UC Berkeley study that finds playing the terror card can backfire on political conservatives:
… Read the rest “Terror warnings undermine conservative candidates.”…[A] new national field study conducted
Giving the cold shoulder? Just wash your hands of it.
SciAm warms my heart with a great interview about metaphor. Cognitive psychiatrist Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto is an expert in why certain feelings are actually processed… Read the rest “Giving the cold shoulder? Just wash your hands of it.”
You can have any music you like, as long as it’s one of these six forms.
Because, New Scientist tells us, there are only six forms of music to have:
… Read the rest “You can have any music you like, as long as it’s one of these six forms.”In his new book, The World in Six Songs, cognitive psychologist and former record producer Daniel Levitin argues
Drive my car.
So. Wired tells us it’s true – the roar of the sportscar kinda turns us on:
… Read the rest “Drive my car.”To test the theory that high-performance cars get people hot, Moxon had 40 men and women listen to recordings
Baby Talk 101.
Keep it simple, short and repetitive! That’s what an international team of neurological researchers covered in PhysOrg.com found when they scanned infants’ brains while… Read the rest “Baby Talk 101.”
It’s all magic to me.
While peeking at a Special Secret Magical Message Board, I came across this “Perspective” piece from Nature Reviews Neuroscience on magic. Specifically, it’s an … Read the rest “It’s all magic to me.”
Lights out.
So, LabSpaces.net confirms what we’ve all been feeling after those long, late nights. Sleeplessness causes power failures in your brain:
… Read the rest “Lights out.”The research team, led by Michael Chee,
A Cowardly and Superstitious Lot.
I can’t say anything more about SciAm’s interview on the science of Batman. The article speaks for itself:
… Read the rest “A Cowardly and Superstitious Lot.”What’s a realistic training regimen?
I didn’t give
Mushrooms and meaning.
Johns Hopkins researchers are getting profoundly trippy, PhysOrg reports, in a research project that found psychedelic mushrooms can have long-lasting spiritual effects:
… Read the rest “Mushrooms and meaning.”“Most