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Does This Ad Make Me Fat?
The New York Times: OBESITY is a problem everywhere, with significant consequences for personal health and public spending. People weigh more than ever — but why? If we can find the causes of obesity, we can try to eliminate or counter them. Unfortunately, finding causes is easier said than done, and causes we think we see can turn out to be illusions. Consider a recent study in the journal BMC Public Health under the anodyne title “Outdoor advertising, obesity, and soda consumption: a cross-sectional study.” A team of researchers walked every street in 228 census tracts around Los Angeles and New Orleans and recorded every outdoor ad they saw.
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The New Science of Mind
One of the greatest challenges facing the 21st century is to better understand the vast reaches and workings of the human mind. Together, neuroscientists and psychologists have made groundbreaking discoveries about the brain that will have far-reaching public policy implications. During his State of the Union address, President Obama recognized the importance of this progress when he outlined a decade-long program aimed at supporting a better understanding of the human brain.
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Rashness & Rumination: New Understanding About the Roots of Depression
TIME: Two studies explore some of the developmental roots of depression in childhood and adolescence. In the first study, published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, researchers focused on depressive rumination, or the relentless focus on what has gone wrong or will go wrong, coupled with an inability to see a solution to these overwhelming problems. It’s no surprise that rumination has a strong connection to depression— in fact, studies show that some talk therapies can actually make depression worse by compelling people to focus on problems and their origins, rather than guiding them toward positive solutions on what to do about them. Read the whole story: TIME
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Bone-tired? How about ‘gene-tired’?
The Washington Post: Hey, you, yawning in your cubicle at 2 in the afternoon. Your genes feel it, too. A new study, paid for by the U.S. Air Force but relevant for anyone with a small child, a large prostate or a lot on the mind, is helping illuminate what’s happening at the genetic level when we don’t get enough sleep. “There are 50 experiments on total sleep deprivation for every one on partial sleep deprivation — not getting a full night’s sleep,” said David Dinges, head of the Human Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school. “They are incredibly onerous, labor-intensive and difficult.” Read the whole story: The Washington Post
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Will “Call of Duty” Be Assigned for 10th Grade (Gaming) Homework?
Scientific American: Two prominent neuroscientists have published a commentary in the Feb. 28th Naturesuggesting that video games might be crafted to improve brain function and enhance personal well-being. In “Games To Do You Good,” they cite prospects for bettering performance on behavioral measures ranging from visual perception to altruism. Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester and Richard J.
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Bullies Hurt By Their Own Cruelty
LiveScience: "Mean girls" might be just as hurt by their own cruelty as the people they exclude, researchers say. Engaging in social bullying causes people to feel shame and guilt and makes them feel less connected to others, a new study shows. "In real life and in academic studies, we tend to focus on the harm done to victims in cases of social aggression," study researcher Richard Ryan, professor of clinical and social psychology at the University of Rochester, said in a statement. "This study shows that when people bend to pressure to exclude others, they also pay a steep personal cost.
