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Why the last chocolate tastes the best
The Telegraph: Psychologists discovered that people become “motivated” when they know an experience is about to be completed. The University of Michigan study found that this led to a person thinking the experience would end happily. The findings, reported in the journal Psychological Science, could add weight to the saying “leaving the best for last”. “Endings affect us in lots of ways and one is this ‘positivity effect,” said researcher Ed O'Brien, who led the study. “It is something motivational. You think ‘I might as well reap the benefits of this experience even though it is going to end’ or ‘I want to get something good out of this while I still can’.
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Comment réduire la douleur sans médicaments
Le Figaro: On en sait aujourd'hui plus sur les mécanismes cérébraux à l'origine d'une baisse de la sensation de douleur sans antalgiques. Des études avaient déjà montré que l'effet placebo (on donne au patient un médicament sans effet en lui faisant croire qu'il en a) pouvait abaisser la sensation de douleur. Et on sait aussi que s'occuper l'esprit, par exemple faire un puzzle, peut avoir le même résultat. Dans les deux cas, l'imagerie cérébrale montre qu'une même zone du cerveau (dans le cortex préfrontal) est concernée. Des chercheurs de la Columbia Université et de l'université du Colorado ont voulu savoir si ces deux effets avaient réellement un chemin cérébral identique.
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The M.R.S. and the Ph.D.
The New York Times: Today women earn almost 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and more than half of master’s and Ph.D.’s. Many people believe that, while this may be good for women as income earners, it bodes ill for their marital prospects. As Kate Bolick wrote in a much-discussed article in The Atlantic last fall, American women face “a radically shrinking pool of what are traditionally considered to be ‘marriageable’ men — those who are better educated and earn more than they do.” Educated women worry that they are scaring away potential partners, and pundits claim that those who do marry will end up with unsatisfactory matches.
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Embodied and Situated Language Processing 2012
ESLP 2012 will be held August 28-30, 2012 in Newcastle, UK. Abstract submission will open on February 15, 2012 and will close on April 15, 2012. For more information visit: http://eslp.cocolab.org/
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When You Think Love, Think Psychological Science
It’s Valentine’s Day! Whether you think of it as just another day, a quaint tradition, an excuse to go wild with chocolate, or a special time to declare your love, let psychological science be your guide to understanding the mysteries of attraction and relationships. Modern Love: Scientific Insights from 21st Century Dating Women, Men, and the Bedroom: Methodological and Conceptual Insights That Narrow, Reframe, and Eliminate Gender Differences in Sexuality The Impact of Early Interpersonal Experience on Adult Romantic Relationship Functioning Recent Findings From the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation Tempting Fate or Inviting Happiness?
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The Need to Feel Connected
The Atlantic: The need for people to feel connected runs deep. According to a study conducted at Purdue University, even the gaze of a stranger makes a difference. When strangers pass you by without acknowledging you, you feel more disconnected. And it hurts. The study looked at traffic along a well-traveled path on campus. A research assistant walked along the path and either met a passing person's eyes, met their eyes and smiled, or looked right past the person, essentially ignoring them. The person on the path was then immediately interviewed and asked how disconnected they felt right then.
