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All About Online Love
When Dan Ariely was a teenager, he suffered burns so severe that he spent three years in the hospital. Ariely worried about how his injuries would affect the way he fit in socially — especially when it came to dating. Now a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, Ariely recently spoke with Today Show correspondent Amy Robach about relationships and dating. Ariely and Eli Finkel — lead author of a new study on online dating in Psychological Science in the Public Interest — were featured in a CNBC report on online dating that aired Thursday, February 9.
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Internet Cupids often miss their mark: researchers
Chicago Tribune: Combing dating websites for that perfect love match can be very frustrating, and a group of U.S. psychology professors released a report on Monday explaining why there is no substitute for meeting face-to-face. "Online dating is a terrific addition for singles to meet. That said, there are two problems," report author Eli Finkel, an associate professor of psychology at Northwestern University, said in an interview. First, poring over seemingly endless lists of profiles of people one does not know, as on Match.com, does not reveal much about them. Second, it "overloads people and they end up shutting down," Finkel said. Read the full story: Chicago Tribune See Eli J.
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Study Proves the Last is the Best – Last Chocolate, Last Kiss and Last Interviewee
International Business Times: They say the best is yet to be and now psychologists say the best is the last! Psychologists at the University of Michigan claim to have proved that whether it is a chocolate or sweet or even a kiss, it is the last one which is the best. In a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, lead psychologist Ed O'Brien has explained that while endings affect us in many ways, the "positivity effect" theory could have the best impact. O'Brien noted that the "last-is-best" theory, when applied in daily life, did have some significance. "It doesn't even have to be a real last one to be experienced as best".
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How a Book about the Future Inspired Me to Look into the Neural Underpinnings of the Past
Scientific American: I’m about to make an embarrassing (to science fiction fans) confession: until last week, I had never read Dune. I wasn’t even aware that I was supposed to have read Dune. Nor did I know I should be embarrassed at the failure. Consider me properly chastised. Fifteen or so years too late, I have finally finished the book that calls itself—on the cover of the 40th anniversary edition—“science fiction’s supreme masterpiece.” I wouldn’t go quite that far, but I will say that I was surprised by the accuracy of some of its insights into the human psyche, especially when it comes to our ability to deal with stressful situations. Read the full story: Scientific American
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Old and On the Road: Can We Train Older Drivers to Be Safer?
Huffington Post: Mr. Magoo, a cartoon regular of early TV, was notorious for his hazardous driving. He was a retiree, befuddled and extremely nearsighted, yet he continued to drive despite these obvious failings. In the opening sequence to his long-running show, he has run-ins with a railroad train, a haystack and several barn animals, a roller coaster, a fire hydrant, a mud hole, and a high voltage line -- all while honking his horn and shouting, "Road hog!" Looking back, it seems like a cruel stereotype of the elderly, especially elderly drivers. But like all stereotypes, the Mr. Magoo caricature had a bit of truth to it.
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Online dating’s promise — and pitfalls
Los Angeles Times: Online dating has come a long way from its less-than-positive association with the personal ad. But is it actually a better way to meet that special someone? In some ways yes -- and in others, maybe not, according to a study on online dating released by the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. "Romantic relationships can begin anywhere. When Cupid’s arrow strikes, you might be at church or at school, playing chess or softball, searching for a partner at a party, or minding your own business on the train," the authors write. "But sometimes Cupid goes on vacation, or takes a long nap, or kicks back for a marathon of Lifetime original movies.