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Not-so-abstract art
Science News: People who scoff that a child could have painted a splotchy, abstract piece of modern art see more in such creations than they realize. When forced to choose a favorite between a painting by a child, chimp or other animal and one by an abstract expressionist artist, people untrained in art usually picked the professional’s creation, even if it was mislabeled as that of a child or a non-human animal, say psychologists Angelina Hawley-Dolan of Boston College and Ellen Winner of Harvard University. Read the whole story: Science News
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Are the Wealthiest Countries the Smartest Countries?
U.S. News & World Report: It’s not just how free the market is. Some economists are looking at another factor that determines how much a country’s economy flourishes: how smart its people are. For a study published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, researchers analyzed test scores from 90 countries and found that the intelligence of the people, particularly the smartest 5 percent, made a big contribution to the strength of their economies. Read the whole story: U.S. News & World Report
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A sobering message about free will
Addiction is a disorder of the will, yet treatment for alcoholism and other addictions often comes with decidedly mixed messages about willpower and abstinence. On the one hand, newly sober addicts and alcoholics often hear the news that two of every three of them will ultimately relapse. There is a frightening sense of inevitability in this not-so-hopeful message. On the other hand, this folk wisdom can also be heard echoing through the rooms of recovery: “Relapse is not a requirement.” Not a requirement, yet two of three will fail. This seeming contradiction can be confusing to those struggling to shake their compulsions in early sobriety.
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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Comfort Food Fights Loneliness
People who were generally secure in their relationships were able to mitigate feelings of loneliness by writing about a comfort food.
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An Unrealistic Lover is a Happy Lover
The Wall Street Journal: Having an unrealistically rosy view of your romantic partner bodes well for the relationship (at least for three years), a study finds. Researchers recruited some 200 newlywed couples and asked them how affectionate their partners were—and how confident, extroverted, controlling, complaining, etc. Everyone also was to give themselves a rating on these characteristics and to rate their “ideal” partner. They were also asked how happy they were, and the exercise was repeated every six months for three years. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
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Social engineering fail
The Boston Globe: We spend much of our lives dealing with familiar routines, objects, and people, on the assumption that these things are preferable to alternatives. According to a new study, though, familiarity can backfire under pressure. Researchers at Stanford University asked people to choose between two tasks, one of which was somewhat more onerous yet more familiar. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
