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In Pursuit of the Perfect Gift? It’s a Lot Closer Than You Think
The New York Times: Traditionalists and etiquette mavens are complaining, but the rest of us can thank social scientists this season. They have come up with experimental evidence to support three revolutionary rules for people who hate shopping for holiday gifts: 1. You don’t have to spend any time looking for “thoughtful” gifts. 2. You don’t have to spend much money, either. 3. Actually, you may not have to spend any money. Yes, I know this sounds too good to be true. I was skeptical, too, if only because it contradicts a previous holiday column of mine.
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The hotter the woman, the better men think chances are
msnbc: Consider Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali. They may be fictional characters on a popular sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory," but new research suggests there’s a lot of truth in how they interact with women. Wolowitz is a teeny guy with dorky hair and dorky clothes. He’s brilliant and gainfully employed, but on the attractiveness scale, he’s maybe a 2, possibly a 2 ½. Despite his physical shortcomings, though, he imagines every hot woman who glances his way wants to jump his bones. Of course, he’s always wrong. Read the full story: msnbc
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The secret to sexual success for men? Misreading whether women are interested – and having a thick skin
The Daily Mail: Lotharios who 'misread the signals' from women and assume they are more attractive than they are - and there are lots - should just be in for repeated embarasssments, you might think. But researchers now think that men who misjudge what women think of them are actually at an advantage in the mating game - as long as they keep trying. Men might actually have evolved the trait - men who misjudge whether women are interested, then 'bounce back' to ask other women, tend to eventually succeed, then go on to have more offspring. Over time, this may have led men evolving to become more thick-skinned - and to misjudge their chances even worse. Read the whole story: The Daily Mail
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Sue Shellenbarger answers readers’ questions
The Wall Street Journal: Q: Regarding your column on how IQ can change over one's lifetime, how can I find more information on the effects of musical training on cognitive skills at various ages? M.J.P., Hingham, Mass. A: Three studies are available online by searching for the titles. In "Music Lessons Enhance IQ" by E. Glenn Schellenberg, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto in Mississauga, children who were given keyboard or voice lessons during first grade posted significantly larger gains in IQ scores at the end of the year, compared with control groups. The study appeared in 2004 in Psychological Science. Another study by Dr.
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Klammern am Status quo
bild der wissenschaft: Viele Menschen rechtfertigen ein bestehendes System, auch wenn eigentlich ersichtlich ist, dass es falsch, ungerecht, korrupt oder einfach zum Scheitern verurteilt ist. Um diesem Phänomen auf den Grund zu gehen, haben die beiden Psychologen Aaron Kay und Justin Friesen bereits bestehende Studien verglichen und ausgewertet und sie zu einem einheitlichen Bild zusammengefasst. Dabei kristallisierten sich vier Beweggründe für das Verhalten heraus. Verteidigung der eigenen Sippe Wird ein Familienmitglied von einem Fremden kritisiert oder gar angegriffen, neigen wir dazu, uns auf die Seite unseres Verwandten zu stellen.
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Decaying Neighborhoods Linked to Premature Births
LiveScience: Women who live in neighborhoods blighted by dilapidated buildings and other signs of decay are more likely to have premature or low-birth-weight babies, a new study finds. It's not yet known what physiological thread, or other factor, links urban blight with unhealthy pregnancies, but researchers report in the December issue of Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology that the link is strongest among blacks, a group that has 1.5 times the risk of preterm births than whites.
