Psychology

Chicks Might Map Numbers From Left To Right – Just Like Us!

When you think of the numbers 1–10, you probably envision them running along a line, with 1 on the left and 10 on the right. Scientists have long debated whether this tendency is hardwired or culturally instilled. This week, the hardwired camp scored a major point. Young chickens, it seems, also map numbers from left…

What You Wear Can Actually Change Your Mental Abilities

How much difference can a lab coat make? How about a doctor’s coat, or a painter’s coat? They’re all the same coat – or at least they were all the same coat during an experiment conducted in 2012. But researchers discovered the way we’re dressed can change the way we act, or even the things…

Get To Know The Uber-Inspiring Woman Dubbed “The Superhero’s Shrink”

The Atlantic has a long-form profile of psychologist, comic-book and cosplay enthusiast, and Under the Mask blogger Andrea Letamendi, discussing her background as an academic who slowly allowed her geeky passions to infiltrate her professional life. Of particular interest, Letamendi discusses her relationship with Batgirl author Gail Simone, who made her a character in the…

Can You Guess What This Image Tests For?

This is called the Gollin figures test. It’s used as a way of assessing visual information — and also something more. Here’s a hint: These images are often shown to amnesiacs. You are meant to see this picture as a series of images, starting with the lower right and moving to the upper left. The…

Winston Churchill And His ‘Black Dog’ Of Greatness

The war-time prime minister was haunted by depression but was it also the secret of his success? Above: Winston Churchill in 1946, by Douglas Granville Chandor. Cliff1066, CC BY It was 1930. Winston Churchill was a 55-year-old Conservative Party politician who had been a member of parliament for three decades. He had eventually risen to…

The Actual Benefits Of Speaking Two (Or More) Languages

We’re often told that people who speak two or more languages have a distinct cognitive advantage over monolingual speakers – but how big is this advantage, really? In a fantastic piece published in this week’s New Yorker, Maria Konnikova considers the evidence that supports what what researchers have come to call “the bilingual advantage”: For…

Diederik Stapel Recounts How He Became One Of Science’s Biggest Frauds

In 2011, prominent social psychologist Diederik Stapel admitted to fabricating dozens of scientific studies. One year later, Stapel published Ontsporing (“Derailment”), a book about his rise and fall in the field of social psychology. Originally released in Dutch, Ontsporting has now been translated into English. https://gizmodo.com/psychologist-admits-to-faking-dozens-of-scientific-stud-5855733 Thanks to the efforts of Nick Brown, Stapel’s book…

When Facts Threaten Our Beliefs, We Resort To Bullshit Rationalizations

Facts are great, except when they undermine our worldview. As a new study shows, when confronted with factual challenges, we often retreat by presenting weak explanations that are difficult — if not impossible — to disprove. More proof that you just can’t win. https://gizmodo.com/lokis-wager-is-why-you-cant-win-arguments-on-the-inter-1679484756 The new study, which was led by York University psychologist Justin…

Where Are Your Eyes Really Looking When You See This Cute Little Girl?

On the left you see an image of a cute kid, and on the right you see how people look at it, if given a few moments to stare. The squiggly lines are the work of a pioneer in vision research, and he had even more interesting squiggles to show us. Al’fred Luk’yanovich Yarbus is…

Scientists Have Provided Evidence for Optimism… By Shocking Dogs

Nearly every activity you fear can turn into something that brings you joy. Don’t believe it? There’s proof. And it involves that old scientific standby — applying electricity to animals. There’s nothing quite like a psychological theory based on something that was first proposed in 1878. Ewald Hering was a 19th century physiologist who was…

Using Social Media Is Less Stressful Than You Think, Say Scientists

Anyone who has spent time on Facebook or Instagram has experienced … let’s call them negative emotions. But new research suggests that using social media is actually less stress-inducing than you might think. In a study called “Social Media and the Cost of Caring,” scientists at the Pew Research Center used the Perceived Stress Scale…

​Loki’s Wager is Why You Can’t Win Arguments on the Internet

All fights on the internet are infuriating wastes of time. We know this. But we still try, and we’re often stymied by this particular phenomenon. Learn about Loki’s Wager, and why it makes the world a more frustrating place. As legend has it, Loki, official trickster god of Norway, made a bet with some dwarves.…

A Special Font to Help Dyslexics? More Like Snake Oil.

The marketers for a typeface called “Dyslexie” claim the font can make reading “easy and enjoyable for people with dyslexia.” The reasoning behind the font’s design is intriguing. But before you get too excited — the scientific evidence supporting Dyslexie’s usefulness is far from conclusive. Created by Dutch designer Christian Boer, Dyslexie has been around…

Your Computer Understands Your Personality Better Than Your Friends Do

Whenever you use a computer, you leave behind a rich seam of personal information—and computers can use that to understand your personality far better than your family or friends. Researchers from Stanford University in California and the University of Cambridge have performed a study which compared the personality traits of 86,000 participants acquired via a…

Are Bicyclists Jerks, Or Are They Just Being Safe?

Do you disobey traffic laws when you’re on your bike? I do, from time to time. So do a lot of other people. And we do it more, it seems, than we would in a car. Why is that? Are bicyclists contemptible jerks, or is there a method to our lawbreaking ways? Photo Credit: George…

More Reasons To Marry Your Best Friend

A recent investigation into the causal relationship between marriage and life satisfaction found that people who regard their partner as their best friend derive more satisfaction from their marriages than others. Photo Credit: Nathan Congleton via flickr | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 How much more life satisfaction are we talking? According to the study, which was…

How to Make Your Willpower Stronger — According to Science

The holiday season is over, so it’s time to get serious about your New Year’s resolutions. But those fine intentions are only as good as your self-control. Here’s what you need to know about the neuroscience of willpower — and what you can do to make your will even stronger. Illustration by Tara Jacoby Willpower,…

Here’s Why the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” Routine Actually Works

You know the routine. A tough cop berates and browbeats a suspect until his partner sends him out. The partner is reassuring, and the suspect spills his guts. But does it work? Scientists did a few rather odd experiments to find out. Fear-Then-Relief Response The Good Cop, Bad Cop routine is supposed to work, but…

How To Use Psychological Torment For Self-Improvement And Profit

This post isn’t as evil as it sounds because it’s yourself you’ll be tormenting. The method you will use is counterfactual thinking. If you use it right, you can wring money from the gullible and improve all kinds of things about yourself… just not necessarily in that order. Poetry, Psychology, and Counterfactuals When poet John…

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences are amazing while they happen, but they may make you depressed in the long term. A new study shows that your incredible vacation may come at a personal cost — Discover’s Carl Engelking has the story.