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Public May Overestimate Pushback Against Controversial Research Findings
Do researchers overestimate the risk that certain research findings will fuel public support for censorship, defunding, and other harmful actions?
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How to Learn Something New Every Day
Many people consider learning to be an active endeavor, one that takes place in a classroom with a teacher and homework and tests. This intentional form of education is just one way to acquire knowledge. In fact, we absorb new information every day, often unintentionally: the best way to store tomatoes, the quickest way to get to work, the dog’s preferred chew toy. “It’s really important to give ourselves credit for the massive amount of information we learn without realizing it,” says cognitive scientist Pooja Agarwal, an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music. There is a distinction between committing facts to memory and learning.
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Humans Will Trade Pain for Useless Information
People often go great lengths to earn a reward—no pain, no gain, as the saying goes. A new study published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that many will also go to great lengths for functionally worthless information, showing a willingness to endure physical pain for information about the value of a monetary reward, even when that information won’t affect its value. “This study gives us a vivid new window to understand how we motivate ourselves to seek information about our future,” says Ethan Bromberg-Martin, a neuroscientist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who wasn’t involved in the study.
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Want to Be More Successful? Neuroscience Shows Embracing a Growth Mindset Actually Changes How Your Brain Functions
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Distracted Driving Is More Dangerous Than People Realize, New Research Shows
In 2021 more than 3,500 drivers in the U.S. alone died in traffic accidents linked to distracted driving. Using a cell phone is the primary source of distraction, but entering navigational information, trying to eat and performing other such activities can be just as risky. A new study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied suggests that distracted driving is even more unsafe than previously thought. Multitasking has a hidden cost for drivers that past analyses have not taken into account. In two experiments, participants between the ages of 18 and 58 completed a driving-related activity while also performing a distracting task.
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2 Eye-Opening Findings That Challenge Our Perception of Loneliness
We don’t need science to tell us that being around our loved ones is good for our health, but it’s nice when research confirms our experience. A 2023 paper published in Science Advances found that people who had stronger social bonds, whether with their friends and family or with an extended group like their government or country, were less likely to be anxious or depressed compared to those who didn’t. The study also found that people who had an easy time connecting with society reported higher levels of well-being. These findings shed light on the importance of social bonds for our mental and emotional health.
