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The Psychology of a Memorable Lunch
The Huffington Post: It's about 11 in the morning, and I'm already thinking about lunch. I'm at my desk in my downtown office, so I have lots of options. I could go to that new sandwich place around the corner, where I know they make a great turkey club. Or I could walk up the street and get one of those big salads, which would be satisfying and healthy. Or I could just run downstairs to the snack bar and grab a yogurt and some pretzels. It's a tough decision. It's also a common decision, one that many of us confront every day. Our choices have implications, not only for how much we enjoy lunch today, but also for longer term goals like fitness and health. But how do we choose?
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The political power of white anxiety
The Boston Globe: What makes voters lean conservative? New research from psychologists at Northwestern University suggests one cause might be anxiety about changing demographics. In a nationally representative survey, whites who identified themselves as independents became significantly more likely to report leaning Republican after being told that California had become a majority-minority state—an effect that was especially pronounced for those who lived closer to California. Likewise, in other experiments, Americans reported significantly greater support for conservative positions—both race-related and non-race-related—after reading that minorities would eventually become the majority.
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People Rely on What They Hear to Know What They’re Saying
You know what you’re going to say before you say it, right? Not necessarily, research suggests. A study from researchers at Lund University in Sweden shows that auditory feedback plays an important role in helping us determine what we’re saying as we speak. The study is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “Our results indicate that speakers listen to their own voices to help specify the meaning of what they are saying,” says researcher Andreas Lind of Lund University, lead author of the study.
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Speed-Reading Apps Will Not Revolutionize Anything, Except Your Understanding
Pacific Standard: Spritz, a new speed-reading app company, suggests its technology will allow you to power through Atlas Shrugged in a day. The simple interface flashes one word of content at a time, at a rate you can pre-select. The Boston-based start-up has been operating in so-called “Stealth Mode” for almost three years, perfecting the system. The tool borrows from an older technology called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation, but has been enhanced by rejiggering the alignment of the words to the “Optimal Recognition Point,” the target region of a word which allows your brain to process it. The new wrinkle, the company claims, eliminates the time your eyes squander locating the next OPR.
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Schreiben ist besser als Tippen (Writing is better than typing)
ORF Austria: Wer sich bei Vorträgen und Seminaren Notizen macht, sollte eher zum Kugelschreiber denn zum Laptop greifen, empfehlen US-Psychologen: Handschriftliche Aufzeichnungen sind laut einer Studie gut fürs Gedächtnis. Computer im Uni-Hörsaal sind heutzutage allgegenwärtig, das Schulheft indes haben sie noch nicht ersetzt. Wohl nicht zuletzt deshalb, weil man mit dem Computer auch andere Dinge tun kann, als sich dem Lernstoff zu widmen. Ist der Unterricht öde, entwickelt bekanntlich selbst Solitär Unterhaltungswert. Wobei man zugeben muss: Gedankenflucht ist natürlich auch ohne Computer möglich, wer dem Unterricht partout nicht folgen will, wird das analog auch tun.
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Address National Council for Behavioral Health Conference
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and political legacy Patrick Kennedy are among the 300 speakers at the 2014 National Council for Behavioral Health Conference and Hill Day, May 5–7 in Washington, DC. The National Council Conference is a healthcare conference for organizational leaders, researchers, policy makers, stakeholders, and others focused on emerging delivery and payment of mental health and substance use services. More than 4,200 attendees learn about the latest public policy priorities, innovations, science, and clinical best practices.