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Do The Funky…Pigeon
You could read Emma Ware’s PhD thesis to find out how social dynamics influence the behavior of pigeons…or, you could watch her dance. Ware was the Social Science winner of the 2011 Dance Your PhD Contest, sponsored by Science and TEDxBrussels. Her dance shows that when confronted when an unresponsive female pigeon on a prerecorded video, the courtship behavior of male pigeons decreased. Courtship behavior also decreased in response to a nine-second delay in the female’s response. In contrast, the male’s courtship behavior didn’t decrease in response to one-second delays, three-second delays, or spatial manipulations.
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The Pupils are the Windows to the Mind
The eyes are the window into the soul—or at least the mind, according to a new paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Measuring the diameter of the pupil, the part of the eye that changes size to let in more light, can show what a person is paying attention to. Pupillometry, as it’s called, has been used in social psychology, clinical psychology, humans, animals, children, infants—and it should be used even more, the authors say. The pupil is best known for changing size in reaction to light.
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Religious people feel better than non-believers, but only in devout societies: study
National Post: Religious people tend to feel better about themselves and their lives, but a new study finds that this benefit may only hold in places where everyone else is religious, too. According to the new study of almost 200,000 people in 11 European countries, people who are religious have higher self-esteem and better psychological adjustment than the non-religious only in countries where belief in religion is common. In more secular societies, the religious and the non-religious are equally well-off. Read the full story:
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Bad bosses: The Psycho-path to Success?
CNN: Think you suffer from a "psycho" boss? A small but growing body of global research suggests you might be right. Call it the "Psycho-path to Success." Psychopaths -- narcissists guided without conscience, who mimic rather than feel real emotions -- bring to mind serial killers such as Ted Bundy or fictional murderers such as Hannibal Lecter or "Dexter," the anti-hero of the popular Showtime TV series. But psychologists say most psychopaths are not behind bars -- and at least one study shows people with psychopathic tendencies are four times more likely to be found in senior management. Read the whole story: CNN
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How Do Placebos Relieve Pain?
The Huffington Post: 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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In dumb luck we can trust
The Sydney Morning Herald: For those interested in events and ideas, our days are full of explanations. Every morning the columnists tell us why politicians acted as they did yesterday. At school and university our children study the causes of historical events. Come evening and the television explains why the market has gone up or down, and the current affairs shows present pundits who predict the future of politics, economics, and international affairs. It seems that the smarter we are, the more we need to know not simply what happened, but why.
