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Researchers: video games won’t make you smarter
The Miami Herald: Video games that'll be under millions of Christmas trees may be loads of fun. But three researchers say you shouldn't expect them to help kids get better grades, improve their concentration or become better drivers. Florida State University psychologist Walter Boot said they found that earlier studies claiming cognitive benefits from video games were flawed and the results couldn't be replicated. He and two colleagues at Florida State and the University of Illinois published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Psychology earlier this year. Boot, who grew up playing video games, said he hasn't given up entirely on the potential for benefits.
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Self-affirmation May Break Down Resistance to Medical Screening
People resist medical screening, or don’t call back for the results, because they don’t want to know they’re sick or at risk for a disease. But many illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, have a far a better prognosis if they’re caught early. How can health care providers break down that resistance? Have people think about what they value most, finds a new study by University of Florida psychologists Jennifer L. Howell and James A. Shepperd. “If you can get people to refocus their attention from a threat to their overall sense of wellbeing, they are less likely to avoid threatening information,” says Howell.
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The Goldilocks Principle of Stress: Too Little Is Almost As Bad as Too Much
TIME: A life free of stress and adversity sounds blissful. But, in fact, the happiest and healthiest people are those who have had at least some early exposure to negative experiences, according to a new research review. Despite the popular notion, stress isn’t all bad. In fact, low to moderate amounts of stress are necessary for healthy growth. What’s harmful is large doses of uncontrollable stress — experiencing a natural disaster, for instance, or living in extreme poverty — particularly in early life. Also harmful, it turns out, is having experienced no stress at all.
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Behavior experts: Some tricks can make it easier to go Christmas shopping when money is tight
The Washington Post: Trying to apply will power “should be your last resort,” he said. Much better is to stay away from the mall in the first place, “and it will be much easier to exert self-control.” It might be preferable to shop on the Internet so you’re not surrounded by buyers, although the convenience of online shopping holds its own temptations, he said. If you do go to a mall, commit yourself beforehand to a hard limit on spending, Loewenstein recommends. “Generally, people tend to be a lot more tempted when there is some kind of uncertainty about whether you’re going to get whatever it is you’re tempted by,” he said.
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Bien interpréter un sourire féminin
Le Figaro: D'après une étude, les hommes cherchant une aventure rapide sont plus enclins que les autres à surestimer l'attirance des femmes pour eux. Elle m'a souri… Ce doit être une invite pour l'aborder! Aller, go.» Les hommes, plus que les femmes, sont prompts à mal interpréter les signaux corporels que les autres peuvent envoyer dans de nombreux domaines de la vie sociale. Regard, position des mains et des bras, des jambes, de la tête, du corps… Et bien sûr le sourire qui est l'un des signaux les plus apparents et des plus chaleureux.
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Autism Rates Have Spiked, But Why?
NPR: According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly one percent of U.S. children have some form of autism, 20 times higher than the rate in the 1980s. Alan Zarembo of The Los Angeles Times and clinical psychologist Catherine Lord discuss what's behind the growing number of diagnoses. Listen here: NPR
