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Our rational thinking is affected by bodily quirks
Yahoo News India: We are actually kidding ourselves when we take pride in our rational thinking - who knows when it may be hijacked by quirks. One particularly powerful influence may be our own bodies, according to new research conducted by cognitive scientist Daniel Casasanto, from the New School for Social Research, New York. He has shown that quirks of our bodies affect our thinking in predictable ways, across many different areas of life, from language to mental imagery to emotion. Read the full story: Yahoo News India
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Vodka delivers shot of creativity
Science News: Getting a buzz from booze may boost creativity. Men who drank themselves tipsy solved more problems demanding verbal resourcefulness in less time than sober guys did, a new study finds. Sudden, intuitive insights into tricky word-association problems occurred more frequently when men were intoxicated but not legally drunk, say psychology graduate student Andrew Jarosz of the University of Illinois at Chicago and his colleagues. Sober men took a more deliberative approach to this task. Read the full story: Science News
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Looking for Love in All the Web Places
Huffington Post: With Valentine's Day upon us, there are some interesting conclusions to note from soon-to-be-published research regarding that most 21st-century of romantic developments: the dating website. In this past weekend's New York Times Sunday Review, psychologists Eli Finkel and Benjamin Karney provide a preview of their article to appear in this month's issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The title of the Times column tells their story succinctly: "The Dubious Science of Online Dating." Read the full story: Huffington Post See Eli J. Finkel at the 24th APS Annual Convention: Special Event and PSPI Symposium.
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Research shows sounds can influence how people taste food
Public Radio International: Oxford University psychologist Charles Spence studies human senses and how they interact. In recent studies, he had people smell wines and sample chocolate, and then match the different aromas and flavors to different musical sounds. He found that people tend to associate sweet tastes with high-pitched notes and the sounds of a piano. People match bitter flavors with low notes and brass instruments. Spence wondered if he could put his findings to use in reverse. Could he use music to influence what people smell or taste? To find out, he conducted another study. He had volunteers eat several pieces of toffee while listening to music.
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Why you buy what you buy and when
CBC News: A flurry of new consumer studies shed light on the buying choices people make, explaining, for example, why we choose romantic movies over other genres when we feel cold, how our definition of happiness influences what we spend our money on and what affects brand loyalty. All five of the studies were published this week in the Journal of Consumer Research. The research can help empower consumers who are bewildered by all the ads bombarding them, not only on television and radio but also on their computers and cellphones, said Darren Dahl, the journal’s associate editor and a professor at the University of British Columbia. Read the full story: CBC News
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As teacher merit pay spreads, one noted voice cries, ‘It doesn’t work’
The Washington Post: Merit pay for teachers, an idea kicked around for decades, is suddenly gaining traction. Fervently promoted by Michelle A. Rhee when she was chancellor of the District’s public schools, the concept is picking up steam from a growing cadre of politicians who think one way to improve the country’s troubled schools is to give fat bonuses to good teachers. The Obama administration has encouraged states to embrace merit pay, highlighting it as one step that states could take to compete for more than $4 billion in federal funds through the Race to the Top program. Indiana and Florida passed legislation that requires merit pay for teachers; Louisiana Gov.
