-
Getting Junior to Move
The Wall Street Journal: I suspect your son is suffering from two decision biases. One, the status quo bias, has to do with our tendency to take our current situation as our reference point and to see any change as negative (or at least difficult) and with a high potential for regret. The second, the unchangeability bias, is the idea that when we face large decisions that seem to be immutable (getting married, having kids, moving to a distant place), the permanence of these decisions makes them seem even larger and more frightening. With these two biases combined, it's only natural that your son is apprehensive about moving West.
-
New Research From Psychological Science
New research published in Psychological Science investigates the ways in which the physical state of our bodies may play a role in shaping what we think, feel, and perceive. Covert Painting Simulations Influence Aesthetic Appreciation of Artworks Helmut Leder, Siegrun Bär, and Sascha Topolinski How does art create aesthetic pleasure? Drawing from existing theory, Helmut Leder of the University of Vienna and his colleagues hypothesized that experiencing a physical resonance with the movements that the artist made when producing the artwork may be one source of aesthetic empathy and, therefore, pleasure.
-
In a Constantly Plugged-In World, It’s Not All Bad to Be Bored
The New York Times: I spent five unexpected hours in an airport this Thanksgiving holiday when our plane had mechanical difficulties and we had to wait for another plane to arrive. So I had plenty of time to think about the subject of boredom. I won’t lie to you. Half a day in an airport waiting for a flight is pretty tedious, even with the distractions of books, magazines and iPhones (not to mention duty-free shopping). But increasingly, some academics and child development experts are coming out in praise of boredom. ... Sometimes we think we’re bored when we just have difficulty concentrating.
-
What Are Animals Thinking?
PBS: We humans have long wondered how animals see the world—and us. Does your dog really feel shame when it gives you that famous "guilty look?" What is behind the "swarm intelligence" of slime mold or a honeybee hive? How can pigeons possibly find their way home across hundreds of miles of unfamiliar terrain? In this episode of NOVA scienceNOW, David Pogue meets—and competes—with a menagerie of smart critters that challenge preconceived notions about what makes "us" different from "them," expanding our understanding of how animals really think. Read the whole story: PBS
-
Dating sites – for all ages – focus on keeping it real
USA Today: The latest trend in online dating? Going offline as fast as you can. Most dating websites used to focus on helping singles get acquainted with extended online communication before meeting face-to-face. But now the order is reversed: a growing number of sites are geared to helping users plan offline activities to size each other up and decide if they've got chemistry. And everybody's getting into the act — even the AARP.
-
Discarding Ideas (Literally)
The Wall Street Journal: Plagued by unwanted thoughts? Try writing them down and throwing the paper away. A new study finds that this trick works. First, students were asked to write down positive or negative thoughts about their bodies, and half were told to tear up and discard the paper. Then the students were asked to rate their attitudes about their bodies. Those who had kept the paper were influenced by what they wrote, but among those who had tossed the page, the written comments had no impact at all.
