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Online dating services don’t work, scientists say
CBS News: Scientists want you to think twice before doubling down on online dating services. A new study published in the upcoming issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest is shedding light on the science - or lack thereof - behind online dating services. The psychological scientists who wrote the report hope to indentify how online dating might be hurting singles. Co-written by Eli J. Finkel (Northwestern University), Paul W. Eastwick (Texas A & M University), Benjamin R. Karney (UCLA), Harry T. Reis (University of Rochester), and Susan Sprecher (Illinois State University), the report reviews over 400 psychology studies and surveys. Read the full story: CBS News See Eli J.
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Distraction reduces pain, study finds
msnbc.com: When you distract yourself from pain, you actually hurt less, a new study suggests. Study participants who were subjected to slight pain on their forearms reported less discomfort when they were asked to perform a distracting mental test as the pain was delivered. Moreover, when participants were given a placebo "pain relief" cream, and distracted at the same time, their pain was even more reduced. "Both placebo and distraction are effective mechanisms for reducing pain. You can combine them and you don't lose anything," said study researcher Jason Buhle, who conducted the research as part of his doctoral dissertation from Columbia University. Read the full story: msnbc.com
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What You Need to Succeed—and How to Find Out If You Have It
Scientific American: Whether you succeed at work may depend on many factors—intelligence, empathy, self-control, talent and persistence, to name a few. But one determinant may outweigh many of these: how you perceive those around you. New research suggests that your own ability to get things done—not to mention your success in non-work relationships—is highly correlated with how you see others. Are your coworkers capable and kind, or are they, dare I say, incompetent jerks?
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Facebook Might Be Tough on Users With Low Self-Esteem
U.S. News & World Report: Using Facebook can be bad for people with low self-esteem, a new study suggests. Canadian researchers found people with low self-esteem deluge their Facebook friends with negative details about their lives, which makes them less likeable. The findings, published online Feb. 7 in the journal Psychological Science, were unexpected, according to the researchers. Many people with low self-esteem are uncomfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings face-to-face, but Facebook enables them to do this remotely, explained study author Amanda Forest, a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. Read the full story: U.S. News & World Report
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Dating in the Digital Age
The report card is in, and the online dating industry won’t be putting this one on the fridge. A new scientific report concludes that although online dating offers users some very real benefits, it falls far short of its potential. Unheard of just twenty years ago, online dating is now a billion dollar industry and one of the most common ways for singles to meet potential partners. Many websites claim that they can help you find your “soulmate.” But do these online dating services live up to all the hype?
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NIH Funding Opportunity: Modeling Social Behavior
Deadline April 3, 2012, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Announcing a funding opportunity from the NIH, a research project grant on Modeling Social Behavior. This grant, issued by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), solicits applications for developing and testing innovative theories and computational, mathematical, or engineering approaches to deepen our understanding of complex social behavior. This research will examine phenomena at multiple scales to address the emergence of collective behaviors that arise from individual elements or parts of a system working together.
