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Science and Its Skeptics
The New Yorker: Science has been taking a lot of punches lately. A recent cover story for The Economist argued, with cause, that “modern scientists have done too much trusting, and not enough verifying.” A few days ago, the science writer-provocateur John Horgan wrote a dark reflection, in Scientific American, on a litany of failures in science that he has seen over his thirty-year career.
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Visual Aids Can Help People Better Understand Health Risks
In order to be able to make sound health decisions, patients need to understand the risks and the benefits that come with medical treatments, screenings, and lifestyle choices. But many people have difficulty understanding the
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Seeing In The Pitch-Dark Is All In Your Head
NPR: A few years ago, cognitive scientist Duje Tadin and his colleague Randolph Blake decided to test blindfolds for an experiment they were cooking up. They wanted an industrial-strength blindfold to make sure volunteers for their work wouldn't be able to see a thing. "We basically got the best blindfold you can get." tells Shots. "It's made of black plastic, and it should block all light." Tadin and Blake pulled one on just to be sure and waved their hands in front of their eyes. They didn't expect to be able to see, yet both of them felt as if they could make out the shadowy outlines of their arms moving. Being scientists, they wondered what was behind the spooky phenomenon.
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You look better with your friends than you do on your own, study says
NBC: If you’re dressing up for Halloween tomorrow, make it a group costume. People seem more attractive when they’re part of a group than when they’re on their own, a new study says. The paper repeatedly references a season four episode of “How I Met Your Mother”: Ted sees a group of girls in the bar that he wants to hit on, but before he does, Barney warns him of the “cheerleader effect” -- the idea that people seem better-looking in a group than when scrutinized individually. "Also known as the Bridesmaid Paradox, the Sorority Girl syndrome and, for a brief period in the mid-nineties, the Spice Girls conspiracy," the Neil Patrick Harris character says.
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‘If You Get Too Cold, I’ll Tax The Heat’
Nobody likes the taxman. Even those who in principle believe in spreading the wealth—even they get a twinge of fear at the mention of the IRS, April 15th and—worst of all—the dreaded audit. Don’t deny it. That’s because the IRS has been pretty heavy-handed over the years, relying on the threat of audits and liens and seizures and harsh fines to scare citizens into compliance. These punitive tactics are based on classical economic theory, which says that we are all essentially self-interested, motivated only by the drive to maximize our own financial interests. Without such deterrents, according to this reasoning, there would be rampant cheating.
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When Being Alone Turns Into Loneliness, There Are Ways to Fight Back
The Wall Street Journal: I spend a fair amount of time by myself. One recent day, I worked, read, cleaned my desk, took a walk, made soup and chatted with my best friend on the phone. By evening, I felt productive and content. Then, for the first time in hours, I checked my phone. There was not one new text, call or email—not even from Groupon. Wasn’t anyone thinking of me? It got me thinking: How does being alone turn into being lonely? Some people crave time alone, but experts say occasional feelings of loneliness are a near-universal experience.
