Psychology

Pupil dilation could be “a subconscious indicator of sexuality”

Your pupils tend to dilate, or widen, when eyeing somebody that you find particularly attractive. Now, newly published research suggests that measuring pupil responses may be an effective way of assessing a person’s sexual orientation. Cornell Researchers Gerulf Fieger and Ritch C. Savin Williams summarize their findings in the latest issue of PLoS ONE: In…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

People are more likely to believe in magic spells that are repetitious and time-consuming

Many people around the world believe in magic spells and rituals, but that doesn’t mean that it’s enough to wave a wand and mutter a few unpronounceable words to convince a believer that the magic will work. A new study out of Brazil suggests that people are most likely to believe in the power of…

io9 Lauren Davis

How do magicians know what card you’re thinking of?

Wanna see a magic trick? Name a playing card out loud. Go ahead, we won’t hear you. Now here’s the trick: it turns out over 50% of people, when asked to name one card in a 52-card deck, choose one of only four cards. Which card did you choose? According to newly published research by…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Why do we hate seeing photos of ourselves?

You know what I’m talking about. There you are, clicking through your friend’s Facebook album, when suddenly you happen upon a picture of yourself — or rather, a slightly less attractive version of yourself. The “real” you appears to have been abducted, replaced with some second-rate knock off. What gives? you ask yourself. Is that…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Why both men and women’s eyes are drawn to women’s bodies

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is suggesting that both men and women are guilty of objectifying females. Because your brain perceives an object as being either a coherent entity or a collection of parts, you rely on two different cognitive processes — global and local scanning. And it appears…

io9 George Dvorsky

How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody

There’s not much doubt that autism, along with Asperger Syndrome, is finally becoming accepted as a normal part of the human fabric. Even if some people still see autism as a condition that needs to be “treated,” it’s increasingly obvious that people on the autism spectrum are finding ways to succeed in our neurotypical-based society.…

io9 George Dvorsky

Infants can distinguish speech from nonsense as early as 9 months

Babies may not be able to clean or feed themselves, but they’re pretty damn remarkable at a number of other things (things besides being pudgy and adorable). For instance, psychologists at NYU recently demonstrated that children as young as nine months old are also capable of differentiating between speech and non-speech sounds, even when the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

10 Limits to Human Perception … and How They Shape Your World

Every human has limits. You can only run so fast, jump so high, and go for so long without water. But what about restrictions upon our five senses, those tools that we use to perceive and understand our surroundings? Here are ten limitations on human perception that have a direct impact on how we understand…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Meet a real-life master of disguise

Gordon Stettinius is a man of many faces. He’s a photographer and adjunct professor by trade — but he’s also been known to moonlight as a country singer, a wholesome-looking governor, and a weirdo in a guayabera with a killer ‘stache and a scraggly combover. Why does he do this? Contrary to what you might…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Shifty eyes have nothing to do with whether or not a person is lying

There’s a good chance you’ve heard or read somewhere that a liar’s eyes tend to look up and to the right. Turns out that’s a lie. In three separate experiments, a team of international researchers has shown that the commonly held myth associating the direction of someone’s gaze with whether or not they’re telling the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

You could have the IQ of a prodigy and not even know it

Don’t get too excited just yet. Sure, you may have an IQ on par with a musical, artistic, or chess-playing wunderkind — but that actually says a lot more about the mind of the prodigy than it does your own. Over at Psychology Today, NYU cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman explores how new research on…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

New study shows that Facebook is not making us depressed after all

Earlier this year, a study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggested that Facebook was making its users sad. The authors of the paper, titled “Misery Has More Company Than People Think,” claimed that the constant barrage of positive depictions were making people feel inadequate, thus leading to depression. But a new…

io9 George Dvorsky

With nearly 1 in 12 teens diagnosed, is ‘Anger Disorder’ the next big thing?

With all that teens have to go through on the way to adulthood, it’s understandable that many of them lash out and lose it everyone once in awhile. But a new study from Harvard suggests that nearly 8% of teens are now exhibiting outbursts so violent, they fall into the category of a mental disorder.…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why The Left-Brain Right-Brain Myth Will Probably Never Die

The myth of the logical left hemisphere and the creative right hemisphere has become a powerful and useful metaphor for understanding the human brain. But while this notion is not entirely unfounded, it’s one that psychologist Christian Jarrett says we should challenge. Find out what the left-brain/right-brain model gets right — and how it misleads…

io9 Christian Jarrett - Psychology Today

There Is No Offline Anymore

Technology pervades our lives. But while many writers argue that such a phenomenon should see us rebel and take time away from our gadgets to experience some notional “real life”, Nathan Jurgenson has other ideas. Instead, as he sees it, there is no offline any more. In a fascinating essay for The New Inquiry, Jurgenson…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe

Why do humans laugh?

Neuroscientist Sophie Scott explores the neurobiology of laughter in this wonderful short film about perception, communication and cognitive development. We rarely think about it, but laughter — whether it’s a quick smile or an uncontrollable giggle-fit — is tangled up with all of these things. Take a few minutes to enjoy this — it’s remarkable…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

What Finger-Counting Says About You And Your Brain

Here’s a fun experiment: stop what you’re doing and use your hands to count to ten. Done? Good. Now remember how you did it, because we’re about to analyze your technique; as it turns out, how you count with your hands may say a lot more about you than you think. So, how do you…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

How to Give People the Feeling of Déjà Vu

You’ve probably experienced the sensation of déjà vu — that eerie sense that you get when you know you have seen or done something before, even if you couldn’t have. It’s the closest we can come to experiencing a real-life time loop. https://gizmodo.com/lets-do-the-time-loop-again-and-again-5206173 How does your brain make things seem familiar when they aren’t? Let’s…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Your preference for beer shows that you’re into casual sex — and other fun facts pulled from dating sites

Online dating sites are not only a boon for people looking to start relationships — they’re also proving to be extremely beneficial for people who like to crunch lots of data. Some psychologists and mathematicians are taking the copious amounts of information that you’re putting into these sites to get a better sense of our…

io9 George Dvorsky

How Science is Helping You Find the Word on the Tip of Your Tongue

You stop short in the middle of a sentence. Your eyes shift. You can practically feel your mind twisting, as it tries to wring out the word resting just behind your lips — but nothing springs to mind. While this tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon happens to just about everyone from time to time, rarely does it become…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Pupil dilation could be “a subconscious indicator of sexuality”

People are more likely to believe in magic spells that are repetitious and time-consuming

How do magicians know what card you’re thinking of?

Why do we hate seeing photos of ourselves?

Why both men and women’s eyes are drawn to women’s bodies

How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody

Infants can distinguish speech from nonsense as early as 9 months

10 Limits to Human Perception … and How They Shape Your World

Meet a real-life master of disguise

Shifty eyes have nothing to do with whether or not a person is lying

You could have the IQ of a prodigy and not even know it

New study shows that Facebook is not making us depressed after all

With nearly 1 in 12 teens diagnosed, is ‘Anger Disorder’ the next big thing?

Why The Left-Brain Right-Brain Myth Will Probably Never Die

There Is No Offline Anymore

Why do humans laugh?

What Finger-Counting Says About You And Your Brain

How to Give People the Feeling of Déjà Vu

Your preference for beer shows that you’re into casual sex — and other fun facts pulled from dating sites

How Science is Helping You Find the Word on the Tip of Your Tongue

Up to $1,550 Off on pCloud: Pay Once, Protect Data Forever for World Backup Day

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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