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Mental Simulations of Social Thought and Action
We live in a world with people from diverse cultures, different societies and varied communities. Unfortunately, all those differences can sometimes result in segregation and discrimination. Reducing prejudice and creating more open minded societies has been the focal point of recent research and now, a new study in this field suggests that mental simulation is a key component of behavioral change strategies. Though this approach is controversial, authors Richard J. Crisp, Michèle D. Birtel, and Rose Meleady at the University of Kent, believe that this will assist in reducing prejudice and discrimination.
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Avoir un animal de compagnie n’est pas si bon qu’on le pense pour la santé
MSN France: Howard Herzog, professeur de psychologie à l'université Western Carolina (Caroline du Nord, sud-est), affirme dans cette étude publiée dans le numéro d'août de Tendances en Psychologie (Current Directions in Psychological Science), que toutes les études publiées sur le sujet "ont montré des résultats contradictoires". "Avoir un animal familier est incontestablement bon pour certaines personnes, mais il n'y a pas assez de preuves pour dire que ceux qui ont un animal familier sont en meilleure santé ou vivent plus longtemps que ceux qui n'en ont pas", écrit-il. Lire plus: MSN France
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The best Porsche 911? The Carrera GTS, of course
The Globe and Mail: In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that people confronted with a large number of choices (like those offered at a typical big box retailer) suffered from a unique brand of exhaustion that made them score low in psychological testing. Lead author Kathleen D. Vohs concluded that making choices depletes a precious resource within the human brain. With this in mind, consider the plight of the Porsche 911 buyer, who must choose from 23 different models of the same car. Read more: The Globe and Mail
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Getting to The Heart of The Appeal of Videogames
San Francisco Chronicle: People spend 3 billion hours a week playing videogames but little is known scientifically about why they are actually fun in the first place. The vast majority of research into videogames has concentrated on the possible harmful effects of playing videogames, ignoring the simple question of why people actually want to play them. But new research led by scientists at the University of Essex sheds some light on the appeal of videogames and why millions of people around the world find playing them so much fun.
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Will Pets Give You Good Health and Longevity?
Yahoo Taiwan: （法新社華盛頓3日電） 長期以來，寵物飼主被洗腦認為，比起沒養寵物者，自己更快樂、健康又長壽，但美國最新研究指出，這些飼主可能只是「自我感覺良好」。 西卡羅來納大學（Western Carolina University）心理學教授赫佐格 （Howard Herzog）表示，過去針對飼養寵物能否促進健康和長壽的研究，卻發現「夾雜衝突性結果」。 赫佐格在8月號「心理科學最新指南」（Current Directions in Psychological Science）中指出：「無庸置疑，飼養寵物對部分民眾有益，但『養寵物的人比沒養寵物者還健康、快樂或更長壽』的論述，缺乏充足佐證。」 阅读更多/Read more: Yahoo Taiwan
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Getting to The Heart of The Appeal of Videogames
People spend 3 billion hours a week playing videogames but little is known scientifically about why they are actually fun in the first place. The vast majority of research into videogames has concentrated on the possible harmful effects of playing videogames, ignoring the simple question of why people actually want to play them. But new research led by scientists at the University of Essex sheds some light on the appeal of videogames and why millions of people around the world find playing them so much fun. The study investigated the idea that many people enjoy playing videogames because it gives them the chance to “try on” characteristics which they would like to have as their ideal self.
