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Teaching The Neurons To Meditate
Studies show that Buddhist monks, who have spent thousands of hours of meditating, have distinct patterns of brain activity. But findings suggest brain activity could change after just a short period of practice.
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To Prevent False IDs, Police Lineups Get Revamped
NPR: In a small room at police headquarters in Dallas, a police officer and the eyewitness to a minor crime recently sat down together to consider six photographs in a photo lineup. Eyewitness identifications like this happen every day in America, and on the surface, it is a straightforward transaction. The witness looks at the pictures. The witness picks a person from the photos. Or the witness doesn't. But for decades, psychological scientists have worried that the traditional way police departments have conducted these photo lineups was flawed and was landing many innocent people in jail. There was a better way, they argued, and police departments needed to change.
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Share the love! Being aroused makes you more likely to send information to other people, study finds
news.com Australia: DEAR reader, you're an idiot. And you smell bad. And nobody likes you. And, according to one professor, you're more likely to share this story with your friends if you took those insults to heart. A new study published in Psychological Science suggests that being aroused makes people more likely to share information with others. "Being aroused", in this context, just means any state of agitation, either positive or negative, such as being angry, anxious or amused — anything that gets your pulse up.
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Wellbeing: How money manipulates our relationships
National Post: What is a little money between friends? According to new research, at the very least, it’s not going to stimulate bonding. Researchers have found that mimicry strengthens social bonding between strangers. By subtly imitating a person’s posture or gestures, you can create goodwill. But a new study looking at the psychological effects of money on our behaviour suggests that this does not apply when money is involved. Mimic someone and he’ll feel a warm glow; but mimic someone while he’s being reminded of money and he’ll feel threatened. Read more: National Post
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A closer look at the role of coping mechanisms in regulating emotions
Scope: When feeling sad, stressed, anxious or angry, some of us may seek an escape, such as retail therapy, while others will simply think through the negative feelings. But are such differences in our responses tied to individual preference or intensity of emotion? A new study from Stanford researchers and colleagues suggests it may be the latter. According to a release: Read more: Scope
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It’s A Duel: How Do Violent Video Games Affect Kids?
NPR: Scientists have long clashed over whether violent video games have an adverse effect on young people. Indeed, the conclusions of different groups of researchers are so contradictory they could give a tennis umpire whiplash. The Supreme Court recently overturned a California ban on violent video games. The court said that video games, even offensive ones, were protected by the First Amendment, and that there wasn't clear evidence that playing games such as Grand Theft Auto and Postal really harmed people. So what explains the vehement disagreements among scientists about the effects of these games?
