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Revisiting the ‘Hormone of Love’
The Huffington Post: It's been more than a decade since oxytocin was first heralded as the "hormone of love" -- a distinction that came with optimistic predictions for future drug therapies. It was just a matter of time before an oxytocin nasal spray would be available on pharmacy shelves, with the potential to cure shyness and dampen anxiety and, perhaps, even treat the social deficits of autism. The excitement was not confined to the popular press. The early animal studies, which showed a link between oxytocin and sociability, generated considerable interest in scientific circles as well, and indeed led to a decade of intense study of the hormone.
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Blood Vessels in the Eye Linked With IQ, Cognitive Function
The width of blood vessels in the retina may indicate brain health years before the onset of dementia and other deficits.
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Emotional Expressions and Shade of Skin Tone Affect Perception of Sex
We are very sensitive when it comes to processing faces. Subtle differences in physical properties of a face, such as configuration of facial parts, facial features, emotional expressions, skin shade, etc., can influence our facial perception.
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Photographs and the Misinformation Effect: A Boundary Condition of Truthiness
Photographs have been shown to increase “truthiness” across several domains. This study explores the presentation of nonprobative photographs in a misinformation study. A robust replication of the misinformation effect was observed, but photographs did not increase “true” responses in this paradigm, demonstrating a boundary condition for the truthiness effect. Daniel F. Bogart, Elizabeth F. Loftus, Rebecca M. Nichols University of California, Irvine Maryanne Garry, Eryn J. Newman Victoria University of Wellington
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Internal Consistency When Collapsing Different Alcoholic Beverage Types Into One Image Category
In researching valence/arousal of alcohol images, it is unknown whether combining of different alcohol images is appropriate. College students (n=83) participated in a beverage picture viewing task. High internal consistency (alphas > .95 for valence and arousal) supports combining beer, wine, and liquor images in the study of alcohol appetitiveness. Kelsey M. Krueger, Lauri D. Rosario, Randall S. Jorgensen, Stephen A. Maisto Syracuse University
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The Influence of Dental Anxiety on Oral Hygiene Practices
The present study explored the effects of dental anxiety on frequency of brushing and flossing. Results indicate that dental anxiety is associated with frequency of flossing but not brushing. Dental professionals may consider implementing anxiety reducing techniques and further emphasize to patients the value of flossing on a daily basis. Michael A. DeDonno Barry University
