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The problem with Earth Day? Human psychology
The Washington Post: This Earth Day, as always, you are going to hear a great deal about the importance of protecting the planet — and about how you can do your part. You might, for instance, adopt one of a number of what some have called “Earth Day resolutions,” such as pledging to walk to work more, or finally program your thermostat — or eat less meat. But there’s a problem. There are reasons to think that Earth Day, as influential as it is in the short term, might not be enough to instill lasting, long-term green behaviors in most people. The problem isn’t the day itself, it’s humans — how they lapse back to old habits and often fail to keep even the most earnest of resolutions. ...
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Teen Brains Shift Gears on Risk with Mom Watching
From dangerous driving to drug use, numerous studies have shown that teens are far more likely to engage in a slew of risky behaviors when they’re with peers than when they’re alone. For example, studies conducted by Laurence Steinberg of Temple University demonstrated that teens—who are already among the most risk-prone drivers to begin with—are even more likely to take risks behind the wheel when peers are present. However, new research from a team of psychological scientists from the University of Illinois demonstrates that parents, as well as peers, can also significantly influence a teen driver’s behavior.
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Finding Shakespeare’s mark
The Boston Globe: FOR CENTURIES NOW, scholars have debated the authorship of the play “Double Falsehood,” which was published in 1728 by Lewis Theobald. Theobald claimed that it was a long-lost work of Shakespeare. In a new study, psychologists at the University of Texas at Austin compared word usage from “Double Falsehood” to plays known to have been written by Shakespeare, John Fletcher (a Shakespeare collaborator), and Theobald. The analysis “generally showed a strong presence of Shakespeare’s signature in the early parts of ‘Double Falsehood’; apparent contributions from Fletcher were greatest in the final two acts.
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Students’ Race Affects How Teachers Judge Misbehavior, Study Says
Education Week: Racial disparities in school discipline are well-documented: According to recent studies, students of color are disciplined and taken out of class at higher rates than their white peers, and black students are more likely to be punished for subjective offenses like "defiance." A new study out of Stanford University, published in Psychological Science, aims to dig a little deeper into this by looking at how a student's race may play into teachers' reactions to discipline problems. Read the whole story: Education Week
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Scientists Probe Puppy Love
NPR: It's a question that bedevils dog owners the world over: "Is she staring at me because she loves me? Or because she wants another biscuit?" Research published Thursday in the journal Science suggests that love (or something close) could be behind that stare. The work shows that when dogs and their people gaze into each other's eyes, all get a boost in their circulating levels of oxytocin — a hormone thought to play a role in trust and emotional bonding. The results suggest that both dogs and people feel it, something few dog owners would doubt. ...
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Tylenol May Blunt Emotions, and Not Just Pain
The New York Times: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a popular pain reliever, but it may also blunt emotions, both positive and negative, a new study shows. In a randomized, controlled trial, 85 people took 1,000 milligrams of Tylenol or a placebo. After one hour, researchers showed them a selection of 40 images in random order. They ranged from the extremely pleasant (children laughing in a park with kittens, for example) to neutral (a rolling pin on a table) to extremely unpleasant (an overflowing toilet). Ten of the images were extremely unpleasant, five moderately unpleasant, 10 neutral, five moderately pleasant and 10 extremely pleasant.
