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Bicyclists Beware: The Psychology of Car-Bike Crash Risks
With bike-sharing programs in more than 500 cities worldwide accounting for a combined fleet of over 500,000 bicycles, cars are increasingly sharing urban streets with bicycles. When crashes between bikes and cars occur they are often particularly dangerous for the cyclist. In 2012 alone, 722 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles-- a 6 percent increase from 2011, according to US government statistics. To better understand the cause of crashes between cars and bikes, psychological scientists Nadine Chaurand and Patricia Delhomme of The French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport looked at differences in how cyclists and drivers perceive traffic risks.
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Dan Ariely wants to help manage your time
The Washington Post: Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University who wrote the popular book Predictably Irrational, has a portfolio of apps he helped create for the iPhone. One, called Oranges2Apples, helped illustrate the economic concept of opportunity cost by showing people what else they could buy if they didn't spend money on a selected item. Another, called At A Boy, doled out compliments to the user (presumably to help with his research).
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What Do Great Musicians Have in Common? DNA
Scientific American: At age 13, jazz great Thelonious Monk ran into trouble at Harlem's Apollo Theater. The reason: he was too good. The famously precocious pianist was, as they say, a “natural,” and by that point had won the Apollo’s amateur competition so many times that he was barred from re-entering. To be sure, Monk practiced, a lot actually. But two new studies, and the fact that he taught himself to read music as a child before taking a single lesson, suggest that he likely had plenty of help from his genes.
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Set goals and you just may live longer
Market Watch: Remember the saying "idle hands are the devil's workshop?" And your mother's admonition to "keep busy?" Turns out they may actually be healthful advice to live by. New research published in Psychological Science suggests that having purpose in life can promote healthy aging and increase longevity. While purposefulness has long been known to lower mortality, this is the first study that documents its benefits in younger, middle-aged and older persons. The study also found that setting goals and good interpersonal relationships are key components to healthy aging and increased lifespan. Read the whole story: Market Watch
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Healing the Wounds of the Future
The Huffington Post: Several years ago, the satirical newspaper The Onion ran an article about "Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder," based on a "study" by the Department of Future Veterans Affairs. Victims of the disorder, according to the report, experience "vivid, ultra-realistic flash-forwards" of disturbing wartime events that are yet to come. Soldiers who have never experienced a day of battle nevertheless "prelive" the hell of war. The story was irreverent and no doubt offensive to some, but it was funny. It was funny because the whole idea of remembering the future is absurd. Or is it?
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Should Athletes Train Their Memories?
Pacific Standard: In a recent ESPN piece, Brandon Weems, LeBron James’ childhood friend, related the following anecdote to Brian Windhorst: “When you play Madden with him now you have to be careful which teams you take, because he will know what your game plans were in the past when you’ve played with him and he’ll pick the opposing team knowing what plays you want to run.” The King’s basketball memory is perhaps even more impressive. Again, from Windhorst’s piece: t’s the middle of February now, in a game against the Golden State Warriors, and James is walking the ball down the floor with the seconds running out.
