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Scientists just gave workers a free pass to watch stupid cat videos at work
Business Insider: Researchers are increasingly discovering that our mental resources are limited — the more energy and attention you devote to one task, the less you have for the next one. So if you're finding yourself unable to focus on your work, there's a good chance you need to recharge your mental batteries. One way to do that? Watch a funny video. Read the whole story: Business Insider
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Psychological Science Gets Behind the Wheel at NHTSA
Last week psychological scientists from around the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C. to discuss innovative behavioral research that will be used to save thousands of lives. Over 200 million Americans drive a car on any given day, and each year around 30,000 Americans lose their lives in car crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is one of the government agencies tasked with finding ways to keep drivers safe. The newest head of NHTSA, Administrator Mark Rosekind, is an accomplished psychological scientist recognized for his innovative research on human fatigue and performance.
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Wearing a Helmet Tied to Riskier Decision Making
Individuals wearing a bicycle helmet as part of an experiment reported greater sensation seeking and engaged in more risk taking than those wearing a baseball cap, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The results suggest that wearing a helmet may have complex and even unintended consequences on the wearer's judgment and decision making. For the study, psychological scientists Tim Gamble and Ian Walker of the University of Bath in the UK used a computer-based simulation to measure sensation-seeking behavior and analyze risk taking in adults ranging in age from 17 to 56 years old.
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Handling Money Decreases Helpful Behavior Among Young Children
Pacific Standard: What does a $20 bill represent to a four-year-old child? Magic, presumably. Mommy or daddy takes this flimsy piece of green paper out of their wallet, and suddenly they have a new toy! While their evident delight may warm the heart, it disguises the inadvertent lessons they are apparently learning from such interactions. While they don't yet understand what money is all about, its importance registers loud and clear in their minds—and it sends an implicit message you might not appreciate. Read the whole story: Pacific Standard
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Fancy a flutter? Sunny weather and watching our sports team win makes us more likely to gamble on the lottery
The Daily Mail: Planning to play the lottery this weekend? Your answer could depend on the weather, according to a new study. Researchers have found that we are more likely to buy a ticket on unusually sunny days while an unexpected win by our sports team also increases our likelihood of having a flutter. They believe good weather and experiencing feelings of excitement can lead us to make riskier bets, and the phenomenon is even more apparent when the sunshine or match win comes out of the blue. Read the whole story: The Daily Mail
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A Judge’s Guidance Makes Jurors Suspicious Of Any Eyewitness
NPR: The state of New Jersey has been trying to help jurors better assess the reliability of eyewitness testimony, but a recent study suggests that the effort may be having unintended consequences. That's because a new set of instructions read to jurors by a judge seems to make them skeptical of all eyewitness testimony — even testimony that should be considered reasonably reliable. Back in 2012, New Jersey's Supreme Court did something groundbreaking. It said that in cases that involve eyewitness testimony, judges must give jurors a special set of instructions.
