Psychology

To predict the future, just trust in your feelings

Well, that and know a lot about the subject of your predictions. That’s the idea behind new research coming out of Columbia, which claims people who trust their feelings are more likely to make accurate predictions than those who don’t. The researchers are calling this the “emotional oracle effect”, which seems like it was pretty…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Answer quickly: are there more fish on the left or right side of this image?

You’ll notice right away that choosing the correct side without counting the fish individually is pretty tough. This difficulty stems from the fact that humans can only assess relative quantities by snap judgment under certain conditions. Take away six fish from the right-hand side, for example, and this task becomes noticeably easier. Previous studies have…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Your cell phone may be turning you selfish

Are you an egocentric person? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time on your cell phone? A preliminary study out of the University of Maryland suggests these two things may be related. Researchers Anastasiya Pocheptsova, Rosellina Ferraro, and Ajay Abraham wanted to look at the effect of cell phone use on prosocial behavior —…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Human memory works just like a bird foraging for food

The human brain is arguably the most powerful machine in the known universe, its inner workings an profound, impenetrable mystery. Except when it comes to remembering things. In that case, it’s basically the same thing as a bird finding dinner. This isn’t the most flattering description of the human brain ever devised — actually, I…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Babies can understand what you’re saying at just 6 months old

Babies are easy to underestimate. This is understandable; after all, when most of us interact with an infant, we see a clumsy, messy creature — one more adept at stringing together strange gurgling noises than distinct consonants and vowels. And yet, evidence continues to accumulate that just because an infant can’t speak, doesn’t mean it…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Some people are more creative when they’re drunk

Are you more creative when you’re drunk? It’s one of those soundbites that you’re liable to hear a friend spout off somewhere between their fourth and fifth beer — a little factoid that might actually sound somewhat feasible if only there were a scientific study lying around to back it up. Fortunately for you, Jonah…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

What Frank Herbert’s Dune Can Teach Us About the Power of Positive Thinking

You probably know that Frank Herbert’s Dune teaches that “fear is the mind-killer.” But what else can you learn from Dune about the power of using your mind and avoiding negative thoughts? Psychologist Maria Konnikova delves into the real-life neuroscience that Paul Atreides taps into. I’m about to make an embarrassing (to science fiction fans)…

Books & Comics Maria Konnikova - Scientific American

Metaphors actually trigger the sensory parts of our brains

Metaphors and other figurative language are deeply woven into the fabric of human communication, as this very sentence actually demonstrates. But how do our brains translate these metaphors into something they can understand? There’s a longstanding debate among neuroscientists regarding that question. Let’s look at the word “rotten”, which literally means “spoiled” but whose metaphorical…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

How much of your online dating profile do people actually read?

If you’re trying to attract men in San Francisco who like to visit coffee shops, you may want to skip filling in your “about me” section, and spend as much time as possible picking out your very best profile picture. According to consumer research company AnswerLab, men spend 65 percent more time looking at photos…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

In 1995, New Mexico voted on a bill requiring psychologists to dress as wizards

In 1995, New Mexico state senator Duncan Scott was getting aggravated by the number of psychologists and psychiatrists being used as expert witnesses in legal trials. To protest this perceived overuse of psychiatric professionals, Scott tacked the following protest amendment onto a bill: When a psychologist or psychiatrist testifies during a defendant’s competency hearing, the…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

No Online Dating Site Can Match Up Your Inner Crazy

Online dating’s said to be the future of relationships, now that we’re all too busy to meet people in real life. But claims that websites can match you with your ideal partner using scientific algorithms are bull, according to a team of psychologists. Because not even fancy math can suss out our own unique brands…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe

Your state sucks at science

Seriously. This map suggests that unless you live in California, a smattering of states out East, or a small handfull of other states sprinkled across the country, you’re looking at a very grave problem when it comes to scientific illiteracy in your community’s youth (and, presumably, its population in general). Come to think of it,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Why do people have phobias?

The very definition of a phobia is an “irrational fear.” Phobias are always overreactions to mild dangers, constant fear of rare dangers, and outright terror of things that are not dangerous at all. Because of their irrationality, it seems like phobias can’t have an evolutionary purpose. But why do we have them? It’s miserable researching…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Men Remember Bad—and Arousing—Times Better Than Women

Do you remember your first break-up in great detail? Maybe sex from the other month? Or, most vividly, the really bad sex from last year? Turns out, men remember unpleasant and sexual experiences far more accurately than women. A study conducted at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal investigated the links between…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe

Science proves blogging is therapeutic — at least for teenagers

We hear a lot about the downside of plugged-in teenagers — the anxiety the experience on social media, sexting, cyberbullying — but that doesn’t mean that teens don’t feel some psychological benefits from all that time spent online. In fact, a recent study found that good old fashioned blogging can actually function as a form…

io9 Lauren Davis

Your enemies will trust you way more if you look baby-faced

If you want to win over your political adversaries, first make sure you look like a giant baby. According to a slightly bizarre new psychological study, we’re way more open to opposing ideas if they come from a baby-faced person. Dr. Ifat Maoz, a communications professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, designed an experiment where…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Make your guests ill with a nausea-inducing floor rug

Under the right circumstances, a home furnishing has the power to make visitors green around the gills. Such is the findings of a recent paper published in the journal Perception, “The sickening rug: a repeating static pattern that leads to motion-sickness-like symptoms.” In this study, researchers from Saint Peter’s College discovered a particular carpet that…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar

You are biologically wired to disagree with [insert political ideology here]

Evidence continues to mount that your political leanings are determined, to some extent, by aspects of your biology. The latest installment in this emerging area of research comes from the University of Nebraska, in a study that looks at peoples’ responses to certain forms of visual stimuli — politically themed or otherwise. Wired’s Brandon Keim…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

This paper on men falling asleep after sex is Exhibit A for weak evolutionary psychology

A new study purports to use evolutionary psychology to explain why men fall asleep after sex, and what it actually means. The study is being widely reported as proving that men only fall asleep after sex to avoid giving affection or commitment to their female partners. Or maybe it proves that men who fall asleep…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About the Power of Mindful Decisions

Sherlock Holmes isn’t what you’d call a traditional psychologist. In fact, he isn’t even real (despite the letters that to this day arrive at 221B Baker Street). But his insights into the human mind do more to teach us about how we do think and how we should think than many a more conventional source.…

Books & Comics Maria Konnikova - Scientific American

To predict the future, just trust in your feelings

Answer quickly: are there more fish on the left or right side of this image?

Your cell phone may be turning you selfish

Human memory works just like a bird foraging for food

Babies can understand what you’re saying at just 6 months old

Some people are more creative when they’re drunk

What Frank Herbert’s Dune Can Teach Us About the Power of Positive Thinking

Metaphors actually trigger the sensory parts of our brains

How much of your online dating profile do people actually read?

In 1995, New Mexico voted on a bill requiring psychologists to dress as wizards

No Online Dating Site Can Match Up Your Inner Crazy

Your state sucks at science

Why do people have phobias?

Men Remember Bad—and Arousing—Times Better Than Women

Science proves blogging is therapeutic — at least for teenagers

Your enemies will trust you way more if you look baby-faced

Make your guests ill with a nausea-inducing floor rug

You are biologically wired to disagree with [insert political ideology here]

This paper on men falling asleep after sex is Exhibit A for weak evolutionary psychology

What Sherlock Holmes Can Teach Us About the Power of Mindful Decisions

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