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The Science Behind The Mean Girl Phenomenon
Allure Magazine: We've all seen mean girls (and no, I'm not just referring to the movie). The backhanded compliments, the whispering, even the Twitter death threats (poor Selena Gomez!)—chances are, if you've experienced junior high, you know exactly what we're talking about. But now there may just be science to back up the female tendency towards this particularly bitchy form of bullying. Read more: Allure Magazine
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Report: Four Loko Still Has ‘Extraordinary Intoxicating Effects’
Huffington Post: The manufacturer of Four Loko may have removed caffeine from the drink in advance of a Food and Drug Administration crackdown on caffeinated alcoholic beverages last fall, but a new report suggests that the canned cocktail may still have hyper-intoxicating effects -- regardless of the reformulation. In an article for the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, Dr. Shepard Siegel of McMaster University in Canada said Four Loko -- and other similarly sweet alcoholic beverages -- may be particularly "effective intoxicants." The reason? They provide a novel flavor context for the alcohol. Read more: Huffington Post
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Early Bonds Predict Ability to Commit
Discovery News: The ability to commit to a romantic partner may be more rooted in childhood and adolescence than previously thought, according to research to be published in the journal Psychological Science next month. Though previous studies address how differences in commitment levels predict a relationship's failure, little attention has been given to the role of family and friend bonds throughout life. Researchers found that people with lower quality relationships as toddlers and teens tended to be less committed to their love interests later on. Read more: Discovery News
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Thoughts That Win
Using self-talk — repeating specific words or small phrases — can focus players’ attention and improve their performance.
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Online dating secrets, as revealed by math majors
Los Angeles Times: The reasoning: Compared with women looking away from the camera, those who smiled or made what OkCupid analysts called a "flirty-face" tended to get about 1.5 additional new messages a month. But men who tried an aloof, no-eye-contact strategy got a better response to their emails — about 90% success compared with 60% if they made eye contact in their photos. From the blog: "Maybe women want a little mystery. What is he looking at?" Our scientists say: "We and other researchers have documented that men interpret a woman's smile as a signal of sexual interest," Buss says.
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UBC study finds happy smiling men least sexually attractive to women
The Vancouver Sun: Happy smiling men are consistently rated least attractive by women when compared to proud or brooding men, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. The finding, published today (Tuesday) in the journal Emotion, goes a long way toward explaining the sexual allure of dark characters such as the brooding Twilight vampire Edward Cullen or the tortured and shamed Jim Stark in James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause. The finding lends credence to the idea that women "shop" for genes for their offspring from the most successful males they can find. Read more: The Vancouver Sun
