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Pupillometry Turns 50
When someone loves you or is lying to you, you might be able to see it in their eyes—or at least their pupils. “Pupillometry” — which uses pupil-diameter measurements for psychological research — recently turned 50 years old. Measuring pupil diameter allows scientists to approximate the intensity of mental activity as well as potential changes in mental state. The technique is also a promising tool for studying subjects that can’t speak, such as infants, patients with neurological damage, and even animals. The January 2012 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science features commentary by Bruno Laeng and colleagues on the history, promise, and current state of pupillometry research.
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Positive shrinking: Writing about the things that mean most can help us lose weight
Daily Mail: The secret to slimming could be as simple as picking up a pen and writing. In a remarkable indication of the potential power of positive thinking in dieting, researchers found that women who wrote about what meant most to them each day lost significantly more weight than those who didn’t. A study by America’s Stanford University and Renison University College in Canada recruited 45 undergraduates, none of who were thin and about 60 per cent of them technically overweight or obese. Read the full story: Daily Mail
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Pocket Science
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Who’s Wealthy? Beyond Net Worth, Asset and Debt Levels Change Our Perceptions
Will borrowing money to buy a new car make you feel richer? It depends on your net worth, says a new study in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science. “People’s perceptions of wealth vary not only as a function of their net worth, but also of the amount of assets and debt they have,” says Princeton University psychology graduate student Abigail B. Sussman, who wrote the study with Princeton professor Eldar Shafir. In fact, increasing your assets by taking on debt affects perceived wealth in opposite ways for people who are in the red (their debt outweighs their assets), or in the black (their assets outweigh their debt).
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Study finds drunken people aware of poor decisions
Toronto Star: A new study says that people who commit blunders while under the influence of alcohol know they’re doing it; they just don’t care. This means buzzed or drunken people who engage in embarrassing or harmful behaviour can’t blame it on not having control, said researcher Bruce Bartholow, associate professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. While this isn’t the first study that shows alcohol alters the behaviour of those who consume it, “it’s the first to show they don’t care that they’re making mistakes,” said Bartholow, chief researcher on the study. Read the full story: Toronto Star
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Wealth School: A Blessing of Wealth and Well-Being
The Huffington Post: Wealth is a difficult word these days because it seems we have been witnessing an abuse of our financial resources. Nevertheless, our experience of wealth goes way beyond money alone. What does wealth mean for you, deep down? What is your intention for wealth now? Yes, you have basic needs to cover, possibly fewer than you think. Wealth speaks to me of expansion, and not just in financial terms. Does more money translate to greater happiness and fulfilment? Does security in life come from having a good pension entitlement? What is the more, the expansion that truly counts for you? Read the whole story: The Huffington Post
