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The Risks Associated With ‘Productivity Pills’ Outweigh the Benefits
The New York Times: A few years ago Adderall was touted as a “smart pill.” But after research showed little or no improvement in cognition under its influence, Adderall is now gaining a reputation as a “productivity pill.” That is probably a better characterization of its effects, based on research I’ve done with Dr. Irena Ilieva of Weill Cornell Medical Center. Users feel more engaged in the task at hand, more energetic and less sleepy. These can be important benefits, as the United States military has known since World War II. Read the whole story: The New York Times
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20 Years Ago, Match.Com Revolutionized How To Find A Date
NPR: Whether you get dumped in person or over the Internet, another potential soulmate is only a click away. It so happens that the first online dating site is celebrating a big anniversary. Match.com turned 20 years old yesterday. I think it's difficult to overstate the impact of match.com in the way that people date. That's the voice of Eli Finkel, a professor of psychology and management at Northwestern University who studies, yes, online dating. It's completely unrecognizable in 2015 from the way people used to date in 1995. Read the whole story: NPR
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A 60 Minutes story you will never forget
CBS News: The Holland College Golden Knights men's basketball team is a powerhouse of collegiate sports. It's played in 10 NCAA championships, winning five. It boasts a list of memorable players like 350-lb center Isaac Moseley, forwards Otis Pooky and Brad Jasmine and a guy nick-named Slappy, whose real name is Sean. But the Golden Knights have never played a real game on a real court. They play all their games inside the brain of a man capable of remembering virtually every day of his life and every one of more than 50 seasons of imaginary Golden Knight basketball.
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The Smell of Your Sweat Can Make Other People Happy
TIME: Another reason happiness might be contagious People seem to be able to send happy vibes through their sweat, according to a new study in Psychological Science. The study found that women showed more signs of happiness when they sniffed sweat made by happy men than when they smelled sweat generated by men in a neutral emotional state. ... “Being exposed to sweat produced under happiness induces a simulacrum of happiness in receivers, and induces a contagion of the emotional state,” said study author Gün Semin, a professor at Utrecht University, in a statement. “Somebody who is happy will infuse others in their vicinity with happiness.” Read the whole story: TIME
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Failing to Forget: Inhibitory-Control Deficits Compromise Memory Suppression in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Ana Catarino, Charlotte S. Küpper, Aliza Werner-Seidler, Tim Dalgleish, and Michael C. Anderson People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often experience intrusive memories and flashbacks; however, research has suggested that, to different degrees, people are able to voluntarily suppress these types of unwanted memories. People with and without PTSD who had experienced a past trauma completed a think/no-think task in which they studied cue images paired with traumatic scenes.
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Paracetamol may dull emotions as well as physical pain, new study shows
The Guardian: Researchers in the US may have uncovered an new side-effect of paracetamol with a study that suggests the drug dampens down people’s emotional reactions. The over-the-counter pills are among the most popular painkillers on the market, but if the findings are confirmed, it would mean the drug also reduces the sense of pleasure as well as pain. Scientists have shown before that paracetamol (or acetaminophen) can do more than relieve physical pain. In one study, people who took the drugs felt less emotional pain too, suggesting that similar brain circuits operate for both.