Brain Pickings Best of 2011
Dec/23/2011 13:33 Filed in: Book News
Thanks to Maria Popova at Brain Pickings for naming Out of Character as one of the best psychology/philosophy books of 2011! Read More...
Willpower: Why It Ain't Just Glucose
Nov/28/2011 20:41 Filed in: decision making
Greg Walton and Carol Dweck had a great piece in the NYT arguing against the Baumeister notion that willpower comes down to glucose levels in the bloodstream. Read More...
Morals are Relative, Even at PopTech!
Oct/20/2011 18:10 Filed in: Current Events
The rain has finally relented here in Camden, ME, and PopTech is as insightful an experience as ever. In fact, the participants in Dave's seminar on the Science of Character gained some new insight into their own minds -- namely how relative their morals can be. Data after the jump. Read More...
PopTech
Oct/16/2011 23:43 Filed in: Administrative
Dave's at PopTech this week, and Carlo has been writing for Scientific American Mind, so there probably won't be any posts for the next few days. But check back next week for updates about the highlights from Camden, ME and our take on whatever the news brings next. Read More...
How Our Brains Turn Women Into Objects
Oct/12/2011 16:16 Filed in: Judging Character
Recent reports of a mountain lion or cougar stalking the campus of the University of Iowa prompted campus jokesters to tweet their surprise that Michelle Bachman was in town. A cougar, colloquially, is an attractive older woman who seeks out trysts with younger men, and to some, it seems that Bachmann fits the bill. This emphasis on appearance is nothing new for high-profile women, and feminist scholars are quick to point out its potential detrimental effects on perceptions of female competence. Read More...
Maybe Facial Expressions Are Not So Universal?
Oct/06/2011 09:59 Filed in: Emotion
If you only saw the close-up on the left, what do you think Serena Williams was feeling? Anger? Pain? Probably not pride, but that's what it was, as a quick glance to the zoomed-out image on the right reveals. This fact is a bit troubling for a long-held view that the face has approximately six unambiguous emotional expressions. Read More...
Beware the Neuromarketers (and the NYT Op-Eds)
Oct/02/2011 07:46 Filed in: Current Events
Martin Lindstrom's Op-Ed in the Saturday New York Times on how brain science confirms that people love their iPhones is causing quite a stir in the scientific community for two reasons. First, his analysis makes no sense based on any understanding of how the brain works. Second, and probably more troubling, is that the NYT was willing to print an op-ed that references data from experiments that haven't been peer-reviewed and are not publicly verifiable. Read More...
Don't Mess with Nursing Moms
Sep/20/2011 22:18 Filed in: Aggression
There are few images as sweet as a mother breast-feeding a baby. But new research shows that the reduced arousal from those touching moments may disinhibit a mother's aggression toward others. In short, nursing just might bring out the "mama bear" in any woman -- and rightly so. Read More...
Why We're All Moral Relativists at Heart
Sep/18/2011 09:30 Filed in: Morality | Judging Character
Dave has an article in the Boston Globe today on how and why moral relativism is deeply embedded in the mind. Unfortunately, you have to register to gain access, but the Globe is still free online (at least for now). Read More...
Feeling Deprived? Stay Away from Casinos
Sep/07/2011 23:29 Filed in: Economics
As we often note, much of life comes down to weighing short- vs. long-term tradeoffs. It can be difficult to resist what feels good in the here and now, but new research shows that just how difficult it is may depend on if you're feeling deprived. Read More...
