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Two Scientists Walk Into A Bar
Host of NPR’s Science Friday Ira Flatow says “Insert your joke here. Can jokes with a science twist be funny? And can they ever appeal to a mass audience?” Flatow invites guests to exchange jokes as they discuss the challenges of making science funny, and whether having a sense of humor can help scientists communicate their work to the public. Catch the show every Friday from 2-4 pm, Eastern time. Guests include Brian Malow (Science Comedian and freelance science video correspondent for Time), Tim Lee (Science Comedian), Norm Goldblatt (Physicist and Comedian), and Flora Lichtman (Multimedia Editor of NPR's Science Friday). Check out the radio program information here.
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Scales of Justice: Guilt and Pain
If guilt is tearing you up inside, try inflicting some pain on yourself. It sounds weird, but research suggests it’ll make you feel better. A study published in Psychological Science found that people’s feelings of guilt are reduced after they experience pain. Volunteers were either asked to write about a time they had ostracized someone, to prime their feelings of guilt, or a routine event in their lives. They were then asked to stick their hand in a bucket of water and to keep it there as long as they could; the bucket contained ice water for some and soothing warm water for others. Afterwards, all volunteers rated their experienced pain and feelings of guilt.
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2011 Summer Institute on Research Methodology, Oregon State University
July 12-13, 2011: Stata & Multilevel/Longitudinal Models Using Stata July 14-15, 2011: Mplus & Longitudinal Modeling Using Mplus The Oregon State University Summer Institute on Research Methodology is sponsored by the College of Health and Human Sciences Methodology Core and the Center for Healthy Aging Research. About the Summer Institute Introductory and advanced coursework using Mplus and Stata will be offered during the Institute. Participants in the Stata session are expected to be comfortable with multiple regression and participants in the Mplus session should also have some familiarity with factor analysis. No knowledge of Mplus or Stata is assumed.
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Formula for a Truly Funny April Fools
Want the recipe for pranks that will have guaranteed laughs on April fool’s day? A study published in Psychological Science found jokes that involve moral or norm violations are funnier but only when the moral violation seems benign, so the audience has psychological distance from it. Check out this video by the Pocket Scientist, George Zaidan, summarizing the study: In one experiment, volunteers were asked read pairs of situations, one of which had a moral violation (e.g. a rabbi promoting pork) while the other did not. The situation with the moral violation was more likely to make the reader laugh.
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A Full Bladder Makes You More Responsible
It's not an April fool's joke, we swear! An upcoming study in Psychological Science found that when we’re controlling our bladder, we’re better at controlling ourselves when making decisions about the future. In one experiment, volunteers were asked to either drink a large or small amount of water. Once enough time had passed for the water to reach their bladder, volunteers were asked to choose between receiving a small, but immediate, reward or a larger, but delayed, reward, as a way to assess their self-control. Volunteers who had a full bladder were better at holding out for the larger reward later.
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When Do You Owe an Apology? Depends on Gender
Both men and women may be pulling pranks this April fool’s but you can bet more women than men will be apologizing after. A study published in Psychological Science found that men apologize less frequently than women because they have a higher threshold for what they find as offensive behavior. In the first study, volunteers were asked to keep daily diaries of all offenses committed and whether an apology was given. Women reported offering more apologies than men but they also reported committing more offenses. A second study tested whether this was because men may have a higher threshold for what is considered offensive by having volunteers rate imaginary and recalled offenses.
