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Neuroscience
When Experimental Philosophy Meets Psychology
May 21, 2016
A Conversation between Joshua Knobe and Daniel Kahneman DANIEL KAHNEMAN: We're at the nub of the question. You come from philosophy, so there are certain things that are of interest to you. You want to convey two things at once: that the question is exciting, and that you have something new to say about it. It is true that I, as a psychologist, would come to the same question and conclude that it's an impossible question. Those are two impossible questions, and I certainly would not expect people...
May 21, 2016
A Conversation between Joshua Knobe and Daniel Kahneman DANIEL KAHNEMAN: We're at the nub of the question. You come from philosophy, so there are certain things that are of interest to you. You want to convey two things at once: that the question is exciting, and that you have something new to say about it. It is true that I, as a psychologist, would come to the same question and conclude that it's an impossible question. Those are two impossible questions, and I certainly would not expect people...
Google’s ‘Goals’ Could Be One Of The Largest Behavioral Science Experiments Ever Conducted
May 21, 2016
Can small changes to your calendar have big effects on your behavior? One of the biggest challenges behavioral scientists...
May 21, 2016
Can small changes to your calendar have big effects on your behavior? One of the biggest challenges behavioral scientists...
Ultra-Runner Mind – The Tougher It Gets, The More Fun It Is
May 20, 2016
After the run, the researchers interviewed the runner to understand what she perceived as the mental qualities that made for ultra success. She revealed four key factors: mental stamina; motivation to test one’s limits, a will that's generated by the enjoyable features of the journey; a sense of camaraderie with the partner; and self-awareness. As an example of the last factor, the running pair formalised a rule to communicate to teach other whenever they felt even a twinge of pain so that it could...
May 20, 2016
After the run, the researchers interviewed the runner to understand what she perceived as the mental qualities that made for ultra success. She revealed four key factors: mental stamina; motivation to test one’s limits, a will that's generated by the enjoyable features of the journey; a sense of camaraderie with the partner; and self-awareness. As an example of the last factor, the running pair formalised a rule to communicate to teach other whenever they felt even a twinge of pain so that it could...
Busy People Bounce Back From Missed Deadlines
May 20, 2016
They say that if you want to get something done, you should ask a busy person. A new paper that's analysed data from a popular productivity app appears to back up this folk wisdom in a specific way – busier people are better at dealing with missed deadlines. Keith Wilcox at Columbia University and his colleagues analysed task deadline and completion data from over 28,000 users of the productivity app (they don't state the name of the app, but it sounds a bit like i done this). In total, the data...
May 20, 2016
They say that if you want to get something done, you should ask a busy person. A new paper that's analysed data from a popular productivity app appears to back up this folk wisdom in a specific way – busier people are better at dealing with missed deadlines. Keith Wilcox at Columbia University and his colleagues analysed task deadline and completion data from over 28,000 users of the productivity app (they don't state the name of the app, but it sounds a bit like i done this). In total, the data...
This Is Your Brain On A Breakup
May 15, 2016
Cognitive neuroscientists at Columbia University compared brain images of participants looking at picture of their exes to brain images of individuals prodded with a hot probe. The researchers found that same brain regions—the insula and anterior cingulate cortex—lit up when ruminating over a lost love as when experiencing physical pain. Another study, by researchers Lucy Brown and Helen Fisher, scanned the brain activity of 15 young adults who had experienced a recent unwanted breakup and reported...
May 15, 2016
Cognitive neuroscientists at Columbia University compared brain images of participants looking at picture of their exes to brain images of individuals prodded with a hot probe. The researchers found that same brain regions—the insula and anterior cingulate cortex—lit up when ruminating over a lost love as when experiencing physical pain. Another study, by researchers Lucy Brown and Helen Fisher, scanned the brain activity of 15 young adults who had experienced a recent unwanted breakup and reported...
Uncertainty Is More Stressful Than Pain, Say Neurologists
May 12, 2016
A recent study found that a small possibility of receiving a painful electric shock causes people more stress than knowing for sure that a shock was on the way. Researchers asked participants to guess whether a snake hid beneath a rock, while measuring stress levels. If a participant guessed incorrectly and turned over a rock with a snake beneath it, he received a small electric shock on the hand. While current research focuses on the negative impacts of stress, there may be benefits, too. The researchers...
May 12, 2016
A recent study found that a small possibility of receiving a painful electric shock causes people more stress than knowing for sure that a shock was on the way. Researchers asked participants to guess whether a snake hid beneath a rock, while measuring stress levels. If a participant guessed incorrectly and turned over a rock with a snake beneath it, he received a small electric shock on the hand. While current research focuses on the negative impacts of stress, there may be benefits, too. The researchers...
Testosterone Decreases The Ability To Feel Empathy By Interrupting Brain Networks
May 9, 2016
Whenever there’s a quarrel, fist-fight or bar brawl, testosterone usually has something to do with it. Famous for fuelling aggression, this male sex hormone is the prime suspect behind the human tendency towards antagonism, and with good reason. According to a new study in the journal Psychoneuroendicinology, testosterone reduces connectivity in brain regions responsible for feeling empathy towards others and incorporating this sentiment into our decision-making. Led by scientists from Utrecht...
May 9, 2016
Whenever there’s a quarrel, fist-fight or bar brawl, testosterone usually has something to do with it. Famous for fuelling aggression, this male sex hormone is the prime suspect behind the human tendency towards antagonism, and with good reason. According to a new study in the journal Psychoneuroendicinology, testosterone reduces connectivity in brain regions responsible for feeling empathy towards others and incorporating this sentiment into our decision-making. Led by scientists from Utrecht...
Anxiety: 10 Fascinating New Insights You Should Know
May 6, 2016
Why anxious people are agreeable, the supplement that reduces anxiety, dangers of anxiety drugs, the benefits of optimistic thinking and more… Ten new psychology studies reveal why some people are anxious, how to reduce anxiety and much more. 1. Why anxious people are too agreeable 2. Omega-3 supplementation reduces anxiety 3. Optimistic thinking benefits the anxious brain 4. Being neurotic predicts anxiety 5. Get enough REM sleep 6. Online therapy for anxiety 7. The neurocircuitry...
May 6, 2016
Why anxious people are agreeable, the supplement that reduces anxiety, dangers of anxiety drugs, the benefits of optimistic thinking and more… Ten new psychology studies reveal why some people are anxious, how to reduce anxiety and much more. 1. Why anxious people are too agreeable 2. Omega-3 supplementation reduces anxiety 3. Optimistic thinking benefits the anxious brain 4. Being neurotic predicts anxiety 5. Get enough REM sleep 6. Online therapy for anxiety 7. The neurocircuitry...
The Curious Robot
April 28, 2016
Curiosity is the strangest mental state. The mind usually craves certainty; being right feels nice; mystery is frustrating. But curiosity pushes back against these lesser wants, compelling us to seek out the unknown and unclear. To be curious is to feel the pleasure of learning, even when what we learn is that we’re wrong. * * * The implication, of course, is that curiosity is a defining feature of human development, allowing us to develop “domain-specific” talents – speech, tool use,...
April 28, 2016
Curiosity is the strangest mental state. The mind usually craves certainty; being right feels nice; mystery is frustrating. But curiosity pushes back against these lesser wants, compelling us to seek out the unknown and unclear. To be curious is to feel the pleasure of learning, even when what we learn is that we’re wrong. * * * The implication, of course, is that curiosity is a defining feature of human development, allowing us to develop “domain-specific” talents – speech, tool use,...
Science Explains Why Even The Best Athletes Mess Up
April 14, 2016
How does Steph Curry, the NBA’s most dominant point guard, still miss a three-pointer? A recent study in the journal NEURON may shed some light on how individuals make errors even after thousands of reps. A study by Duke University neurobiologist Stephen Lisberger analyzed electrical activity in monkeys’ brain cells while the subjects watched a dot move across a computer screen. The study found that when a monkey’s neuron misfired while tracking, neighboring neurons also misfired. Sometimes...
April 14, 2016
How does Steph Curry, the NBA’s most dominant point guard, still miss a three-pointer? A recent study in the journal NEURON may shed some light on how individuals make errors even after thousands of reps. A study by Duke University neurobiologist Stephen Lisberger analyzed electrical activity in monkeys’ brain cells while the subjects watched a dot move across a computer screen. The study found that when a monkey’s neuron misfired while tracking, neighboring neurons also misfired. Sometimes...
