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How Microexpressions Can Make Moods Contagious
It's a common experience for family members or groups of friends: One person's mood can bring the whole group's energy down— or up. But why are we so easily influenced? In 1962, the reality television show Candid Camera offered a remarkable glimpse into a psychological phenomenon that helps explain how emotions spread. They did it through a now famous comedy stunt called "Face the Rear." It goes like this: We see an unsuspecting man walk into an elevator that has been secretly rigged with cameras. Two more people walk in after him. But weirdly, they turn to face towards the back wall of the elevator.
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Finding the Right Place for a Home Office
Earlier this year, I faced a conundrum that many of us who work from home know well: Where in the house can I actually work? Unless you’re blessed with a home large enough for a dedicated office, or are a truly nomadic worker and able to set up shop on a sofa with nothing more than a cup of tea and your laptop, you’re inevitably going to have to carve out space in a room that isn’t naturally intended for work. ... Sure, it’s nice not to have to get dressed and get on the train every morning. But the arrangement can quickly lose its luster.
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New Research From Psychological Science
A sample of research exploring genetic variation and social-rejection sensitivity, judging impurity versus harm, and contextual fear learning.
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Scientists doing basic studies of human brain win longer reprieve from clinical trials reporting rule
U.S. scientists who challenged a new rule that would require them to register their basic studies of the human brain and behavior in a federal database of clinical trials have won another reprieve. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, says it now understands why some of that kind of research won’t easily fit the format of ClinicalTrials.gov, and the agency has delayed for the reporting requirements for another 2 years. ... The agency has not backed down from classifying many basic research studies with humans as clinical trials.
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In the tough academic job market, two principles can help you maximize your chances
This time of year generates a wave of excitement and anxiety as many early-career scientists prepare to face the academic job market. There is usually a flood of advice to help clarify this terrifying process. But for every useful piece of advice, there are a dozen that are idiosyncratic to the person giving the advice or that are unique to their own institution. They might have secured a coveted tenure-track position, but it’s not clear which things (a) helped them get the job or (b) are relevant to the jobs you plan to pursue. The job market—both inside and outside of academia—is full of random events.
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Tech Is Already Reading Your Emotions – But Do Algorithms Get It Right?
From measuring shopper satisfaction to detecting signs of depression, companies are employing emotion-sensing facial recognition technology that is based on flawed science, according to a new study. If the idea of having your face recorded and then analyzed for mood so that someone can intervene in your life sounds creepy, that’s because it is. But that hasn’t stopped companies like Walmart from promising to implement the technology to improve customer satisfaction, despite numerous challenges from ethicists and other consumer advocates. ...
