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¿Por qué no somos ya más inteligentes?: los perjuicios de tener una supermente
ABC Espana: Los seres humanos nos esforzamos en mejorar nuestra memoria, inteligencia y atención de múltiples maneras, desde tomar una taza de café que nos despeje la mente hasta consumir medicamentos psicoestimulantes. Pero quizás, aunque parezca contradictorio, ser más inteligentes no nos convenga como especie. Un nuevo artículo publicado en Psychological Science, una revista de la Asociación para la Ciencia Psicológica de EE.UU., advierte de que hay límites en cómo obtener la inteligencia y de que cualquier aumento en la capacidad de pensar puede traer algún problema añadido. Read the whole story: ABC Espana
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Why It Really Is Better to Give Than to Receive
The Wall Street Journal: The Beatles famously sang money can't buy love. But can it buy happiness? Satisfaction? Appreciation? These questions surfaced in my mind the other day as I raced to finish—um, I mean start—my holiday shopping. For many of you, the hunt for the perfect gift began early this year. A record-breaking 226 million shoppers tore out of the gate over Black Friday weekend, spending an estimated $52.4 billion collectively—another record—at stores and websites, all in the hopes of spreading a little joy to family members, friends and assorted acquaintances. Unfortunately, our good intentions notwithstanding, research suggests that by and large we miss the mark.
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Robert Sapolsky: The uniqueness of humans
Humans enjoy having a laugh at the seemingly silly things other animals do, oblivious to the fact that they offer up plenty of humorous fodder to the rest of Mother Nature in kind. Thanks to his extensive work with baboons, Robert Sapolsky looks at his fellow men and women through an intriguing (and hilarious) biological lens. Although they share plenty of parallels with other mammals, people certainly pull it off in their own unique, strange way. Watch the Ted Talk here
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Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms
Ken Robinson's observations of intersections between education and psychology come delivered through some delightful animations. He peers into three of the most disconcerting elements of the school system — an increase in ADD and ADHD diagnoses, escalating drop-out rates and poorly-funded art programs — and discusses the sociological and psychological principles at play here. In spite of some concerns about economics and resources, there are viable solutions that nurture creativity and produce healthy, productive children. Watch the Ted Talk here
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Beau Lotto: Optical illusions show how we see
Even those with only a tangential understanding of psychology know how important perception is in understanding human behavior. And Beau Lotto points out how important optical illusions are to understanding human perception. Through demonstrations, he illustrates the evolution of eye and brain alike in order to underscore how such things keep people from fully realizing the world around them. Watch the Ted Talk here
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Inge Missmahl brings peace to the minds of Afghanistan
In this wrenching, compelling lecture, psychologist and humanitarian Inge Missmahl opens up about her groundbreaking, sadly overlooked projects in Afghanistan. The war-ravaged nation is home to over 30 million individuals, yet only 24 mental health professionals practice there. Her efforts to increase the numbers bring hope and healing to a population that oftentimes feels depressed, wanting and teetering on the cusp of giving up entirely. Watch the Ted Talk here
