-
Explaining the Funny, Then Not Funny, Then Funny Again Joke
New York Magazine: There’s a scene in the rom-com parody They Came Together that goes like this: Bartender: “You look like you’ve had a bad day.” Paul Rudd: “You can say that again.” Bartender: “Well, you came in here looking like crap and you haven’t said very much.” Rudd: “Tell me about it.” Bartender: “Well, you came in here looking like crap and you haven’t said very much.” Rudd: “You can say that again.” Bartender: “Well, you came in here looking like crap and you haven’t said very much.” Rudd: “Tell me about it.” … and this repeats, like, eight more times. ...
-
Eye Movements May Reveal Difference Between Love and Lust
Soul singer Betty Everett once proclaimed, “If you want to know if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss.” But a study by University of Chicago researchers suggests the difference between love and lust might be in the eyes after all. Specifically, where your date looks at you could indicate whether love or lust is in the cards. The new study found that eye patterns concentrate on a stranger’s face if the viewer sees that person as a potential partner in romantic love, but the viewer gazes more at the other person’s body if he or she is feeling sexual desire. That automatic judgment can occur in as little as half a second, producing different gaze patterns.
-
Why Psychotherapy Appears To Work (Even When It Doesn’t)
One of the classic papers in the history of psychology is Hans Eysenck’s “The Effects of Psychotherapy: An Evaluation,” published in 1952. The London-based psychologist examined 19 studies of treatment effectiveness, dealing with both psychoanalytic and eclectic types of therapy in more than 7000 cases. His overall conclusion was damning: The studies, he wrote, “fail to prove that psychotherapy, Freudian or otherwise, facilitates the recovery of neurotic patients.
-
Can World Cup Heartbreak Affect Your Health?
ABC News: As Brazilian fans start to recover from their devastating loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinals, experts say that heartbroken fans should be sure to take care of themselves as losing can come at a cost greater than national pride or a Sad Brazilians Tumblr, it can even affect the health of diehard fans. A 2013 study published in Psychological Science journal found that fans were more likely to eat high fat and high calorie meals after their team lost an important game. Researchers looked at the eating habits of 726 people in cities with National Football League teams. ...
-
Here’s Why People Work Like Crazy, Even When They Already Have Everything They Need
Business Insider: In a recent talk, Google CEO Larry Page raised a radical notion: We all might be working much harder than is necessary. "The idea that everyone needs to work frantically to meet people's needs is just not true," he said, pointing to recent advances in technology that have made meeting humanity's basic needs much easier. Some people work hard to pay rent, to put food on the table, because they enjoy it, or — in rare cases — because the job really demands it. But what about everyone else, those who earn more than they need and still run themselves ragged, often working to the point of misery? Christopher K.
-
How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? Talent
The New York Times: The 8-year-old juggling a soccer ball and the 48-year-old jogging by, with Japanese lessons ringing from her earbuds, have something fundamental in common: At some level, both are wondering whether their investment of time and effort is worth it. How good can I get? How much time will it take? Is it possible I’m a natural at this (for once)? What’s the percentage in this, exactly? Scientists have long argued over the relative contributions of practice and native talent to the development of elite performance.