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No Limits to Computer Play, Says Psychologist Peter Gray
Wired: What haven’t computers and screens been blamed for? The debates over video game violence and the impact technology are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. Since the advent of TV there have been hundreds of trials, research reports, and papers trying to provide a definitive answer to the question of the impact and value of screen-based activity on the lives of children. Surely the fact that the jury is still out and there is no certainty on either side of the debate tells us that this is all a bit more nuanced than we often hear from the commentators. Still, the discussions continue. Read the whole story: Wired
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Men And Women’s Differences Extend To Personality, Study Claims
The Huffington Post: Men and women are more alike than different -- that's been the consensus view for many years among the researchers who study personality differences between the sexes. But a new study claims this wisdom is wrong. By correcting for measurement errors, three researchers put forth a study that was published on Wednesday on the Public Library of Science website saying they've found that men and women feel and behave in markedly different ways. They're almost like "different species," Paul Irwing, one of the researchers, told The Huffington Post.
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Pocket Science
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Wealth School: A Blessing of Wealth and Well-Being
The Huffington Post: Wealth is a difficult word these days because it seems we have been witnessing an abuse of our financial resources. Nevertheless, our experience of wealth goes way beyond money alone. What does wealth mean for you, deep down? What is your intention for wealth now? Yes, you have basic needs to cover, possibly fewer than you think. Wealth speaks to me of expansion, and not just in financial terms. Does more money translate to greater happiness and fulfilment? Does security in life come from having a good pension entitlement? What is the more, the expansion that truly counts for you? Read the whole story: The Huffington Post
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Online dating 2.0
KPCC: The mistletoe may be tucked away for another year, but Valentine's Day tchotchkes already are overflowing on store shelves. And in these weeks between Christmas day and Cupid's night, Internet dating sites reportedly see a surge in traffic. Social psychologists say that's true now more than ever. In years past, people were more skeptical about putting personal information online and didn't know which sites to trust. Has that changed? Social networking sites are a daily, if not hourly, habit for millions of Americans. So why not put your Facebook profile on OkCupid, too? Read the whole story: KPCC
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Hand Washing: A Deadly Dilemma
The Huffington Post: New Yorker essayist Atul Gawande is a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, a prestigious teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School. A couple years ago, he wrote a profile of his hospital's infection control team, whose full-time job is to control the spread of infectious disease in the hospital. The focus of the piece was hand washing -- or more accurately, the team's failed efforts to get doctors, nurses and others in patient care to adequately disinfect their hands. They tried everything. They repositioned sinks and had new, automated ones installed.