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Scientific Freedom, False Positives and the Fountain of Youth
The Huffington Post: "Chronological rejuvenation" is psychological jargon for the Fountain of Youth, that elusive tonic that, when we find it, will reverse the aging process. Though many of us would welcome such a discovery, most of us also know it's a fantasy, a scientific impossibility. So imagine my surprise when I came across this report on chronological rejuvenation while browsing in the highly regarded journal Psychological Science.
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Narcissists’ Overconfidence May Hide Low Self-Esteem
Live Science: Narcissists may seem to love themselves, but a new study finds that narcissistic self-aggrandizement may hide deep feelings of inferiority. According to the new research, people who are narcissistic are likely to tell psychologists that they feel good about themselves. But when the psychologists trick these narcissists into thinking they're hooked up to a working lie-detector test, the truth comes out and the narcissists admit to lower self-esteem. "This suggests that individuals with high levels of narcissism may be inflating their self-esteem," study researcher Erin Myers, a psychologist at Western Carolina University, told LiveScience.
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Having a bad day? Try washing your hands
WTOP: WASHINGTON -- Washing your hands, taking a shower or even imagining cleaning up can clear away a sense of immorality, feeling unlucky or having doubts. Researchers at the University of Michigan reached this conclusion after conducting several studies showing the act of removing residue from your body corresponds to perceptions in your mind. One example of the strength of that body and mind link is how people respond to telling a lie and whether the lie is spoken or typed in an email. People voicing a lie respond better to mouthwash afterward. While people typing a lie show preference for hand sanitizer. Read the whole story: WTOP
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Psychologists Defend The Importance Of General Abilities
“What makes a great violinist, physicist, or crossword puzzle solver? Are experts born or made? The question has intrigued psychologists since psychology was born—and the rest of us, too, who may secretly fantasize playing duets with Yo Yo Ma or winning a Nobel Prize in science. It’s no wonder Malcolm Gladwell stayed atop the bestseller lists by popularizing the “10,000-hour rule” of Florida State University psychologist K. Anders Ericsson.
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Why Do Some Athletes Choke Under Pressure?
Athletes know they should just do their thing on the 18th hole, or during the penalty shootout, or when they’re taking a 3-point shot in the last moments of the game. But when that shot
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IQ Isn’t Set In Stone, Suggests Study That Finds Big Jumps, Dips In Teens
NPR: For as long as there's been an IQ test, there's been controversy over what it measures. Do IQ scores capture a person's intellectual capacity, which supposedly remains stable over time? Or is the Intelligent Quotient exam really an achievement test — similar to the S.A.T. — that's subject to fluctuations in scores? The findings of a new study add evidence to the latter theory: IQ seems to be a gauge of acquired knowledge that progresses in fits and starts. In this week's journal Nature, researchers at University College London report documenting significant fluctuations in the IQs of a group of British teenagers.
