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How Do Placebos Relieve Pain?
Scientists and doctors have been studying placebos for more than half a century. These inert “sugar pills” remain highly controversial, yet they are widely used in clinical treatment today—especially in the area of pain management. So-called “placebo analgesia” has been observed again and again not only in the pain clinic, but also in the neuroscience lab, where scientists have documented a placebo response in the brain’s pain pathways. Despite this evidence, nobody really understands the psychological processes involved in placebo analgesia.
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Courage & cowardice
National Post: To psychologists, courage, like its opposite cowardice, is not an internal state of mind but an external process. It requires not only bravery, but also success, just as cowardice requires both fear and failure. Both also demand a certain perfection in the results. For example, of the 74 people awarded the Carnegie Medal in 2008 for "saving or attempting to save" another's life, a study found, only one left someone unrescued. "It's sort of like you have to do it or die trying," said Cynthia Pury, editor of The Psychology of Courage: Modern Research on an Ancient Virtue.
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Nurturing mums raise physically healthier adults
Zee News: Washington: Adults who had nurturing mothers in childhood have better physical health in midlife, a new study has found. Brandeis psychologist Margie Lachman with Gregory Miller and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles reveal that while children raised in families with low socioeconomic status (SES) frequently go on to have high rates of chronic illness in adulthood, a sizable minority remain healthy across the life course. The research sought to examine if parental nurturance could mitigate the effects of childhood disadvantage. Read the whole story: Zee News
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Thinking outside the box DOES boost creativity: Cramped work spaces produce few ‘lightbulb moments’ for employees
The Daily Mail: Many work places preach to their employees about the importance of thinking 'outside the box'. But it seems if companies really want increase worker creativity they should focus more on the office environment, according to new research. Scientists say cramped, claustrophobic working environments stifle employees’ creativity and result in fewer 'lightbulb' moments of inspiration. However, working in an airier, less constricted workplace was found to stimulate their brains more and boost their ability to think 'outside the box'. Read the whole story: The Daily Mail
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Perfectly Happy, Even Without Happy Endings
The New York Times: SEEING Lindsay Doran on a midafternoon stroll near her office in Culver City, Calif., you might wonder about this woman with the flowing curls and contemplative smile. Art historian? Massage therapist? Micro-financier? A little of each. Ms. Doran is in the movie business, and her résumé runs from production executive on “This Is Spinal Tap” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” to producer of “The Firm,” “Sense and Sensibility” and “Stranger Than Fiction,” to president of United Artists Pictures, and now an independent producer. Read the full story: The New York Times
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Study shows how stress triggers immune system
USA Today: Shedding some light on why stress might be bad for you, a new study finds that parts of your immune system ramp up when you get into personal conflicts with others. It's not clear how this effect of stress may make you sick, but the activated parts of the immune system -- which cause inflammation in the body -- have been linked to conditions such as diabetes and cancer. "The message is that the flotsam and jetsam of life predict changes in your underlying biology in ways that cumulatively could have a bad effect on health," said study co-author Shelley Taylor, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
