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Most of brain reacts to winning, losing: study
Montreal Gazette: A new National Hockey League season is upon us, Major League Baseball playoffs are in full swing and the National Football League's regular season has been in session for about a month. As you fixate on your television, watching every move of your favourite athletes and longing for that great play or crucial win that can serve up a rush that can approach orgasm, consider this: New research from Yale University shows even more of your brain than previously thought physically reacts to something perceived as a win or a loss.
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Falsche Erinnerungen sind nützlich
ORF Austria: Unser Gedächtnis spielt uns manchmal einen Streich. Sich nicht genau oder falsch an etwas zu erinnern, kann mitunter drastische Folgen haben, etwa vor Gericht. Einem Forscher zufolge können falsche Erinnerungen aber auch positive Effekte haben. Laut einer aktuellen Studie von Mark L. Howe von der britischen Lancaster University waren derartige Trugbilder in unserer Evolution durchaus sinnvoll und sind es bis heute, unter anderem in Hinblick auf unser psychisches Wohlergehen, aber auch beim Lösen mancher Probleme Read the whole story: ORF Austria
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Colour red boosts your physical strength
Zee News: New Delhi: A new study has found that when humans see red, their reactions become both faster and more forceful. The findings may have applications for sporting and other activities in which a brief burst of strength and speed is needed, such as weightlifting. But the authors caution that the colour energy boost is likely short-lived. "Red enhances our physical reactions because it is seen as a danger cue," said coauthor Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and a lead researcher in the field of colour psychology. "Humans flush when they are angry or preparing for attack.
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Neuroscientist traces roots of his drug addiction
CTV News: Mark Lewis spent 15 years hooked on just about any drug you can think of: alcohol, LSD, cocaine, heroin, opium, prescription painkillers. Today, he is a neuroscientist and professor of applied psychology at the University of Toronto, who had just written a new memoir, entitled "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain." But this is no drug addict tell-all. Instead, Lewis details honestly his life as an addict, while drawing on his knowledge of neuroscience and the brain's workings to try to explain it. Lewis says he wanted to explain why brains get addicted and says it seemed only natural to use his own experience to do so.
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What is the key to achieving greatness?
Yahoo Singapore: What makes one great? Is it intelligence alone or does it also include sustained practice? Working memory capacity - closely related to general intelligence - may sometimes be the deciding factor between good and great, according to a Michigan State University study. Practice is equally important - if not more - than intelligence in making people stand out, associate professor in psychology Zach Hambrick said. Imagine where Bill Gates would be if he hadn't honed his programming skills, but then Hambrick disagrees with the notion that intelligence plays no role in determining excellence, reports the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science.
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Happy Kids a Product of Genes, Parenting, Study Finds
U.S. News & World Report: As scientists continue to tease out the impact of nature versus nurture, it appears that kids unlucky enough to get a "downer" personality gene can end up with sunnier outlooks when they're parented in a warm, positive manner. A new study on nearly 1,900 children aged 9 through 15 with a gene variation predisposing them to lower serotonin levels in the brain -- which can lead to a gloomier disposition -- suggests the youths were more likely to maintain happier emotions when exposed to positive parenting.
