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New Research in Psychological Science
A sample of research on visual short-term memory, the development of spatial cognition and its malleability, how heart rate predicts the performance of elite athletes, and much more.
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People Differ Widely in Their Understanding of Even a Simple Concept Such as the Word ‘Penguin’
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “penguin” as “any of various erect short-legged flightless aquatic birds (family Spheniscidae) of the southern hemisphere.” That description seems simple enough, but definitions are not what people have in mind when they actually use words. Instead people think of concepts: the myriad properties, ideas, examples and associations that spring to mind when we think about a word. Our concepts are crucial to exactly what we mean when we use language, and new research has found that the concepts people hold, even for a word like penguin, vary from person to person on a shockingly frequent basis.
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Are You Ready to Forgive? A New Study Shows Letting Go Is Good for Health.
Early in his career as a marriage counselor, psychologist Everett Worthington noticed that many couples were angry about perceived slights and real wrongs — and he realized they could make progress only if they forgave each other. Those insights prompted Worthington to embark on a decades-long academic career studying the science of forgiveness. While the act of forgiving is often discussed by faith communities, Worthington has found that a secular approach to forgiveness also can be a useful strategy in improving health.
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Not Psychohistory. Not the History of Psychology, but Historical Psychology
Wikipedia lists 36 obsolete psychological categories. These include drapetomania, a supposed mental disorder that led enslaved African Americans to run away; hysteria, the host of motor, psychic and sensory disturbances that were supposedly gender-aligned; and neurasthenia, the fatigue, headache, lassitude and irritability that were purportedly a by-product of overcivilization. In some instances, an older psychological label was discarded and replaced by a more sophisticated, nuanced or less pejorative terminology. Think of derogatory, eugenics-aligned terms like imbecile or idiot that have thankfully been jettisoned.
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A Psychologist Explains 3 Ways a Rebound Relationship Can Benefit Your Mental Health
There are many coping mechanisms that people use to heal or distract themselves from the pain of a breakup. None of them, however, is as popular as the rebound relationship. Often frowned upon as a technique to suppress what one is truly feeling, rebound relationships have developed a bad rep in pop culture. Well-intentioned people often advise close ones who might be rebounding to process their relationship trauma before jumping into another relationship. However, is it really that bad to have a short-term romance right after you get out of a long-term one? The world of scientific research says no. Here are three science-backed benefits one can get from a rebound. ...
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Conspiracy Theorists May Not Always Think Rationally, but They Don’t Generally Believe Contradictory Claims
Regardless of the popular conspiracy theory, most of its believers stick to their guns — and do not subscribe to contradictory theories as well.
