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The science of touch
Men's Health: Your skin is two square metres of intimate sensory data. And haptics, the branch of psychology that interprets this information, has recently made some interesting discoveries: according to a study published in the journal Psychological Science, just being touched by a member of the opposite sex is enough to turn off your neural response to stress. Read the whole story: Men's Health
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Größenwahn: Macht verzerrt die Selbstwahrnehmung
Web.de: Dazu gingen die Forscher um Michelle M. Duguid von der Washington University folgendermaßen vor: Sie luden 100 männliche und weibliche Testpersonen zu einem Rollenspiel ein. In einem vorab absolvierten Persönlichkeitstest sollten die Teilnehmer zunächst ihre Führungsqualitäten unter Beweis stellen. Angeblich erhielten sie abhängig vom Ergebnis entweder die Rolle des Bosses - oder die des Untergebenen. Tatsächlich aber wurden die Rollen per Zufall verteilt. Read the whole story: Web.de weiter lesen: http://web.de/magazine/gesundheit/psychologie/14594342-groessenwahn-macht-verzerrt-die-selbstwahrnehmung.html#.A1000145
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Today in Research: Memory Loss in Combat
The Atlantic: That's a single minute. Or, in other words, a very short amount of time. Think of all the many minutes soldiers or police officers spend using "physical exertion in a threatening situation," as the study defines combat. Now think of all the lost memories. Looking at a group of police officers, researchers determined the effects of these situations on their brains. "As exhaustion takes over, cognitive resources tend to diminish. The ability to fully shift attention is inhibited, so even potentially relevant information might not be attended to. Ultimately, memory is determined by what we can process and attend to," explained Dr. Lorraine Hope. Read the whole story: The Atlantic
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Throwing Light on the Dark Side
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there may be someone who has not heard of “the dark side.” But I think that’s unlikely. Whether you are a Star Wars aficionado or not, there is no doubt that these hugely popular movies have saturated the culture and the common vocabulary. As Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi explained to the innocent young Luke Skywalker in the original 1977 film, the once virtuous Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force, his destructive power fueled by rage and hate. The dark side is all the galaxy’s evils rolled together. Of course, Star Wars creator George Lucas did not invent the metaphor of the dark side. Not even remotely.
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Checking Off Symptoms Online Affects Our Perceptions of Risk
You’ve been feeling under the weather. You Google your symptoms. A half-hour later, you’re convinced it’s nothing serious—or afraid you have cancer. More than 60 percent of Americans get their health information online, and a
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Police officers at risk of memory loss after physical exertion
Metro News: Just 60 seconds of adrenaline-pumping activity can 'seriously damage' their recollection of the event, according to UK scientists. They say forgetfulness is often triggered by high-energy events like chasing a suspect. Lorraine Hope, from the University of Portsmouth, believes her findings, published in journal Psychological Science, flag up the potential problems with witness statements. She said: 'Police officers are often expected to remember in detail who said what and how many blows were received or given in the midst of physical struggle or shortly afterwards.
