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Close Encounters of the Desired Kind: Study Reveals Wanted Objects Are Seen as Closer
We assume that we see things as they really are. But according to a new report in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, if we really want something, that desire may influence how we view our surroundings. Psychological scientists Emily Balcetis from New York University and David Dunning from Cornell University conducted a set of studies to see how our desires affect perception. In the first experiment, participants had to estimate how far a water bottle was from where they were sitting. Half of the volunteers were allowed to drink water before the experiment, while the others ate salty pretzels, thus becoming very thirsty.
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A broken heart? Take two Tylenol and call me . . .
Anyone who has ever experienced heartache knows that the “ache” is not metaphorical. Hearts and minds can hurt with the intensity of a migraine. Rejection and isolation can break one’s spirits as surely as a nasty fall can splinter a femur. So why don’t we treat psychic pain the same way we treat our bodies’ agonies? This seemed like an obvious question to University of Kentucky psychologist Nathan DeWall, yet when he searched the scientific literature, he could find no attempts to even ask the question. So he did the obvious: He handed out Tylenol to see if the drug might soothe people’s emotional suffering. DeWall and his colleagues ran two studies.
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You Say Offset, I Say Tax? Study Suggests Labels and Political Affiliation May Influence Preferences
Would you pay more for certain products to save the planet? That’s the question behind the burgeoning carbon-offset industry — proponents pay more money for carbon-producing activities (such as flying), with the idea that the carbon emissions will be balanced out by funding for alternative energy sources. At the same time, economists and climate scientists agree that a carbon tax would be the most effective means through which the U.S. could lower carbon emissions and pay for alternative energy production. However, politicians are reluctant to propose a carbon tax because taxes tend to be unpopular with constituents, especially with Republican voters.
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Low Socioeconomic Status Affects Cortisol Levels in Children Over Time
It’s no surprise that children from low socioeconomic backgrounds may be at risk for numerous health problems in the future. Scientists speculate that these health problems, including increased risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse, arise from the physiological toll that the environment has on the children’s bodies. Previous research demonstrates a clear link between low socioeconomic status (SES) and body systems that regulate stress, specifically the HPA-axis, which produces the hormone cortisol.
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Revisiting the Green Monster
When South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was caught red-handed returning from a tryst with his Argentine mistress last June, he told the Associated Press that he had met his “soul mate.” His choice of words seemed to suggest that having a deep emotional and spiritual connection with Maria Belen Chapur somehow made his sexual infidelity to his wife Jenny Sanford less tawdry. Jenny Sanford wasn’t buying it, and neither would most women. What the two-timing governor didn’t understand is that most women view emotional infidelity as worse, not better, than sexual betrayal.
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Racing, Shooting, and Zapping Your Way to Better Visual Skills: Study Finds Benefits of Playing Video Games
Do your kids want a Wii, a PlayStation or an Xbox 360 this year? This holiday gift season is packed with popular gaming systems and adrenaline-pumping, sharpshooting games. What’s a parent to do? Is there any redeeming value in the hours that teens spend transfixed by these video games? According to a new study in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, regular gamers are fast and accurate information processors, not only during game play, but in real-life situations as well.
