Age-Old Money Matters: Positivity in older adults leads to balanced investments

The economic and psychological term known as “sunk-cost fallacy” is a bias that leads someone to make a decision based solely on a previous financial investment. For example, a baseball fan might attend every game of the season only because he already purchased the tickets. But not everyone would force themselves to brave the pouring rain for a single game in one season simply because they previously paid for the seats.

The Many Lives of Superstition

It appears to be human nature to believe our thoughts or our rituals can influence outcomes. Yet if you put a pigeon inside a box that dispenses food at regular intervals, the pigeon will acquire some sort of idiosyncratic behavior or tic — perhaps spinning in circles, or bobbing its head rhythmically, or some other strange, senseless behavior. In effect, the pigeon has developed a superstition about the source of the food, and it will do whatever it thinks it takes to guarantee a good outcome.

The Power of Peter Piper: How alliteration enhances poetry, prose, and memory

From nursery rhymes to Shakespearian sonnets, alliterations have always been an important aspect of poetry whether as an interesting aesthetic touch or just as something fun to read. But a recent study suggests that this literary technique is useful not only for poetry but also for memory.

We’re Only Human

Wray Herbert's popular blog "We're Only Human" is now available in audio format. "We're Only Human" also appears in Scientific American Mind and on Newsweek.com. Take a listen as Wray Herbert explores the latest and greatest in psychological research.