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Taste buds are just one reason why we love some foods and hate others
The Washington Post: Black coffee. Hot peppers. Truffles. Oysters. The world is full of polarizing flavors and foods, beloved by many, despised by just as many. Why is that? Scientists have untangled some — but not nearly all — of the mysteries behind our love and hatred of certain foods. While we might say, “That tastes like strawberry,” scientists who study these things would disagree. Our tongues actually perceive only five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and “umami,” the Japanese word for savory. To go from merely sweet to “Mmm, strawberry!” the nose has to get involved.
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Why Men Say ‘I Love You’ First
Forbes: If romantic comedies are any indication, women in new relationships are constantly fretting about those three little words: “I love you.” However, according to a new study, men are more likely to let the declaration slip first. In a study that will appear in the June edition of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, based on 205 interviews of heterosexual men and women, MIT psychologist Josh Ackerman found that 64% of people believe women are the quickest to say “I love you.” In reality, men were more likely to say it first and consider it earlier–a full six weeks before women think it’s time to fess up. Read the whole story: Forbes
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It May Be Possible to Predict Bipolar Mood Swings: Study
U.S. News & World Report: A new study suggests that it's possible to predict future mood swings in bipolar people by monitoring their thoughts and behavior. Bipolar people suffer from extreme mood swings that veer between moments of emotional highs and euphoria to deep depression. In the new study, researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster in the United Kingdom followed 50 bipolar patients for a month, studying how they think and act.
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I.Q. scores don’t predict success as much as motivation
USA Today: I.Q. scores mostly reveal the test-taker's motivation to do well on the exam, particularly for low-scorers, suggests a series of experiments. "One of the most robust social science findings of the 20th century is that intelligence quotient (IQ) scores predict a broad range of life outcomes, including academic performance, years of education, physical health and longevity, and job performance," begins the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, led by psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. However, researchers have also long known that rather than measuring intelligence directly, I.Q.
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When It Comes To Infidelity, Does Power Trump Gender?
Infidelity may have more to do with feelings of power, and the confidence that comes with it, than it has to do with gender, researchers find.
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Study: Botox Users Have Trouble Reading Emotions in Others
TIME: We all know that Botox injections paralyze facial muscles — which is why it's used between the brows to iron out frown lines — and can therefore make users appear less emotional. Now a new study finds that the cosmetic toxin may also make recipients less able to read the emotions of others. Social psychologists say we identify emotions in part by mimicking each other's facial expressions. "When you mimic, you get a window into their inner world," said lead researcher David Neal, a psychology professor at University of Southern California, in as statement. "When we can't mimic, as with Botox, that window is a little darker." Read the whole story: TIME
