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Les aliments gras remonteraient le moral, indépendamment de leur goût
RTL Belgium: Les chercheurs de l'Université de Leuven (Belgique) ont choisi 12 participants de poids normal et en bonne santé auxquels ils ont injecté des solutions concentrées en acides gras et des solutions de sérum physiologique, en présence d'images et de musique triste ou neutre. Les sujets auxquels on a injecté la solution grasse se disaient moins tristes que les personnes ayant reçu le sérum physiologique. Ils ont aussi subi des IRM, pour que les chercheurs puissent analyser leur activité cérébrale pendant l'expérience. Lire plus: RTL Belgium
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When It’s An Error To Mirror
In human relationships, mimicry can act as a kind of ‘social glue’ and foster rapport in subtle ways. If, for example, Amy and Ted are engaged in a conversation, Amy might mirror some of Ted’s mannerisms, leading Ted to like Amy more, trust her, and think of Amy as more similar, even though both are unaware that any mimicry took place. All this has been confirmed by much of psychological research, leading to a popular perception (and advice) that imitating is “good for you”. But new research suggests that mimicry may not always lead to positive social outcomes. In fact, sometimes not mimicking is the smarter thing to do.
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Mistakes are more tolerated if you’re the right gender for the job
Financial Post: In these modern times, people can have jobs that weren’t traditionally associated with their genders. Men are nurses; women are chief executives. A new study examines perceptions of people in high-powered jobs and finds that they’re likely to be judged more harshly for mistakes if they’re in a job that’s not normally associated with their gender. ”The reason I got interested is, there was so much talk about race and gender barriers being broken,” says Victoria Brescoll, a psychological scientist at Yale University and first author of the study.
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Kindness is in our genes: How desire to do good deeds is hard-wired into us by evolution
Daily Mail: Tipping waiters is hard-wired into our brains, according to scientists. Theories of evolution suggest we should incur a cost only if there’s a prospect of receiving something in return, but researchers say generosity evolved from simple co-operation. They believe humans have evolved to think it’s better to take the risk of being generous and getting nothing in return than destroying a potentially beneficial future relationship by being stingy. Read more: Daily Mail
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Exageramos las alegrías de ser padres para sentirnos menos deprimidos?
CNN Mexico: Todos los padres coinciden en que tener hijos es una bendición... cuando están dormidos. Esta es una broma frecuente entre los padres, quienes por más que gocen a sus hijios, saben que es una pesadilla vivir con ataques de gritos, narices escurriendo, batallas a la hora de dormir, tareas escolares, pañales y ropa sucia. Sin mencionar las cuentas del banco. En marzo pasado una investigación concluyó que tener hijos es poco redituable financieramente hablando (lo sabe cualquiera que haya visto el costo de una caja de pañales o las tarifas de cualquier colegio o guardería) y —lo inédito— que es frecuente que los padres se desilusionen. Read more: CNN Mexico
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A Positive Attitude May Protect You from Heart Problems and Even Stroke
Seattle Post Intelligencer: It’s not far-fetched to think that optimistic people are not only happier but also healthier. Some scientists now believe that keeping a positive attitude may even reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. “Past research has linked optimism with a range of health benefits, including cardiovascular outcome,” said Eric Kim, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan and lead author of a study that was recently published in the medical journal, “Stroke,” a publication of the American Heart Association. What always remained a mystery is exactly how a sunny temperament affects a person’s health. Read more: Seattle Post Intelligencer
