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MONKEY SEE, HUMAN DO
Yale Daily News: Sometimes looking into the past can inform our futures. At least, that’s the guiding principle at Yale’s monkey lab. Technically called the Comparative Cognition Laboratory (or CapLab), the center is home to 10 brown capuchin monkeys who regularly undergo noninvasive experiments in physical coordination and cognitive functions. Capuchins are one of the most intelligent of all monkey species, and so they are helpful tools for determining how our own brains work. Read the whole story: Yale Daily News
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He loves me, he loves me not: The thrill of uncertainty
Here’s a Valentine’s Day scenario: You’ve just been on a first date with a woman you find attractive and intelligent, and things went well—at least from your point of view. The conversation was comfortable, and you share some tastes in books and politics. You’re still savoring the pleasure of the experience when you run into a mutual friend, who reports some good news: Your date really had a good time, too, and is looking forward to seeing you again soon. Or your mutual friend hems and haws and finally shares that the woman liked you “well enough”—which anyone can translate as “bored to tears.” Or—yet another scenario—your mutual friend leaves you dangling.
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Facebook and Love: Why Women Are Attracted to Guys Who Play Hard to Get
Time: As Valentine's Day approaches, it's tempting to check your wall every 10 min. to see if that cute guy from the bar last week has poked you. But a recent Psychological Science study by researchers at the University of Virginia and Harvard says you will probably like him more if he ignores you than if he posts flirty messages. Read the whole story: Time
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Injections are less painful if you don’t look away, scientists claim
The Daily Telegraph: The body naturally reduces the pain experienced if the limb or body part affected is focused on visually. Researchers found that people had a higher pain threshold if they looked at the arm or hand being treated. Read the whole story: The Daily Telegraph
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Pain reduced by changing what you look at
The BBC: What you look at can influence how much pain you feel, a study has revealed. Contrary to many people's compulsion to look away during a painful event such as an injection, scientists found that looking at your body - in this case the hand - reduces the pain experienced. The team also showed that magnifying the hand to make it appear larger cut pain levels further still. Read the whole story: The BBC
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Young Children Choose to Share Prizes After Working Together
Grownups have a good sense of what's fair. Research now shows that this is true for young children, too. In a study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, three-year-old children shared with a peer after they worked together to earn a reward, even in situations where it would be easy for one child to keep all of the spoils for himself. The new study was inspired by work in chimpanzees that found their cooperation regularly breaks down.
