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Relentless optimism of ugly men makes up for unappealing looks
The Telegraph: Despite being at a disadvantage in the looks department, some men are able to snare a partner far more attractive than them through relentless persistence and overblown belief in their own sex appeal. Now scientists believe this could be down to an evolutionary trait which tricks men into overestimating the value of their looks to prevent them from missing a mating opportunity. This overconfidence causes them to try their luck with a greater number of women because they are less likely to see them as unattainable.
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Traumatic Experiences May Make You Tough
Your parents were right: Hard experiences may indeed make you tough. Psychological scientists have found that, while going through many experiences like assault, hurricanes, and bereavement can be psychologically damaging, small amounts of trauma may help people develop resilience. “Of course, everybody’s heard the aphorism, ‘Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger,’” says Mark D. Seery of the University at Buffalo. His paper on adversity and resilience appears in the December issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
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Women Perform Better At Spacial Tasks When More Confident, Study Shows
Huffington Post: Two new studies out last week show that the brain is mightier than the baggage -- especially when it comes to those stereotypes we women carry around in our backpacks. Parallel parking: Good at it? And speaking of driving: Get lost much? Stereotypes tell us that if you're a woman, your answer to the first question is probably a "nope." And to the second, often a "yes." But guess what? A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior tells us that it's often garden-variety confidence at play when it comes to spatial tasks like parking the car or reading a road map -- rather than gender-related abilities (or lack of same.) Read the whole story: Huffington Post
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Inside the Psychologist’s Studio: Elizabeth Loftus
APS Past President Elizabeth Loftus speaks about her research — investigating false memory, the reliability of eyewitness reports, and memories “recovered” through therapy — and its impact on how we think about eyewitness testimony.
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Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy
Read the Full Text The word “psychopath” brings to mind diverse and often conflicting images, from the superficially charming and manipulative corporate boss to the coldly violent serial killer. Although the public has a fascination with psychopathy, there are still misconceptions and uncertainty about what it means to be a psychopath. How does psychopathy develop? At what age can it be diagnosed? Is it necessarily linked with violence? Is treatment possible? This new, comprehensive review summarizes what is known about psychopathy from psychological science.
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Seksuele hints vaak overschat
MSN Nederland: Seksueel getinte hints worden vaak verkeerd geïnterpreteerd, blijkt uit Amerikaans onderzoek. Er zijn twee manieren waarop je als man een fout kunt maken: of je denkt 'Wow die vrouw ziet mij wel zitten', en dat blijkt niet zo te zijn. Of de dame in kwestie is werkelijk geïnteresseerd, maar dat ontgaat de man compleet. Beide gevallen komen vaak voor, beweren onderzoekers van de Universiteit van Texas in Austin. Voor hun onderzoek werden 96 mannen en 103 vrouwen, drie minuten lang in een speeddate sessie tegenover vijf potentiële kandidaten van het andere geslacht gezet.