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Healing the Wounds of the Future
The Huffington Post: Several years ago, the satirical newspaper The Onion ran an article about "Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder," based on a "study" by the Department of Future Veterans Affairs. Victims of the disorder, according to the report, experience "vivid, ultra-realistic flash-forwards" of disturbing wartime events that are yet to come. Soldiers who have never experienced a day of battle nevertheless "prelive" the hell of war. The story was irreverent and no doubt offensive to some, but it was funny. It was funny because the whole idea of remembering the future is absurd. Or is it?
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Should Athletes Train Their Memories?
Pacific Standard: In a recent ESPN piece, Brandon Weems, LeBron James’ childhood friend, related the following anecdote to Brian Windhorst: “When you play Madden with him now you have to be careful which teams you take, because he will know what your game plans were in the past when you’ve played with him and he’ll pick the opposing team knowing what plays you want to run.” The King’s basketball memory is perhaps even more impressive. Again, from Windhorst’s piece: t’s the middle of February now, in a game against the Golden State Warriors, and James is walking the ball down the floor with the seconds running out.
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Lack of Sleep Can Generate False Memories
Discovery News: We all know by now how important it is to be well rested, but things just got worse for the sleep deprived. They might be remembering things that didn't even happen! Watch the whole story: Discovery News
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Whites Favor Harsh Sentencing Policies After Seeing Images of Black Prisoners
Mother Jones: We still don't know definitively what made a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer shoot and kill an unarmed black teen in broad daylight this past weekend. What we do know is that minorities in the United States—particularly black men—are over-represented in their interactions with the criminal justice system: African Americans make up less than 14 percent of the nation's population, but 40 percent of the prison population.
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Neural Nostalgia
Slate: As I plod through my 20s, I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: The music I loved as a teenager means more to me than ever—but with each passing year, the new songs on the radio sound like noisy nonsense. On an objective level, I know this makes no sense. I cannot seriously assert that Ludacris’ “Rollout” is artistically superior to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” yet I treasure every second of the former and reject the latter as yelping pablum. If I listen to the Top 10 hits of 2013, I get a headache. If I listen to the Top 10 hits of 2003, I get happy. Why do the songs I heard when I was teenager sound sweeter than anything I listen to as an adult?
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The Science Of Menu Design: How Restaurants Can Make You Choose A Salad Over A Cheeseburger
Fast Company: Responding to the rise of American obesity rates, some politicians have proposed regulations that would require restaurateurs to reduce portion sizes, eliminate drive-thrus, and limit soft drink sizes. Brian Wansink, author of Slim By Design, marketing professor, and the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, thinks the restaurant industry can police itself--and make more money--by leveraging the power of menu design.
