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Scaling the heights of power
The Sydney Morning Herald: Want to add a few centimetres to your stature instantly without the help of heels or a hat? Just picture yourself in a situation where you are in charge. Researchers have
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Study of the Day: More Evidence That We’re a Very Needy Species
The Atlantic: PROBLEM: Psychologists already know that humans need to relate with others to be happy and that being left out can be stressful. But just how small a cue is necessary to help someone
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Science on Swearing
Timothy Jay knows enough about curse words to make any seven-year-old jealous. The Boston Globe has called him the “Doctor of dirty words,” and he frequently appears in news stories — like this one from
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Study of the Day: Religion Boosts Patience, Has Practical Benefits
The Atlantic: Faith doesn’t just assuage fears about the afterlife. Research published in Psychological Science shows that it fuels self-control too. PROBLEM: Religious believers are often called on to exercise self-control. Christians, for instance, are
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Fighting willpower’s catch-22
ScienceNews: Willpower comes with a wicked kickback. Exerting self-control saps a person’s mental energy and makes the next desire that inevitably comes along feel more compelling and harder to resist, a study of people’s daily
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That bad attitude? Blame the birth month
Los Angeles Times: If you don’t believe in horoscopes, you’re in step with science. But that’s not the same as saying the season of your birth cannot affect your fate. Hundreds of studies, published in
