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Neuroscience Explains Why the Grinch Stole Christmas
Forbes: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.” But why? We all know Dr. Seuss’s iconic tale of the green ogre who lives on a mountain, seething while the Whos in the village below celebrate Christmas. The happier they are, the angrier he gets, until finally he can’t take it anymore and hatches a plan to crush their joy like a glass ornament. Dr. Seuss was a brilliant intuitive psychologist and I’d have loved to chat with him about the core of the Grinch’s rage, but, alas, he left us too early. So I’m turning to another impressive thinker who has taught me a great deal about the neurobiology of emotion: Dr.
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‘Baby brain’ syndrome IS real… and it makes you a better mother
Daily Mail: Pregnant women have long complained that their condition makes them forgetful. Now a researcher has claimed there may be scientific truth in this ‘baby brain’ syndrome – and that there is a very good reason why expectant mothers develop short-term memory loss. The suggestion is that women’s brains change during pregnancy so that they will be better able to concentrate on their newborn’s needs after the birth, with the result that they become less focused on other things, such as where the car keys might be.
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Be YOUR Motivation
As you draw up your list of New Year's Resolutions for 2012, remember to set goals that are really important to you. In this video from Eco-mobilite.tv, psychological scientist Maarten Vansteenkiste explains why autonomous motivation (change that is personally important) is more effective than controlled motivation (change that results from outside pressure). Vansteenkiste's APS Rising Star profile can tell you more about his research. If you want to know even more about motivation, you can read research on effective and ineffective anti-prejudice messages from Psychological Science or watch footage from APS Fellow Elke Webber’s recent chat with the Dalai Llama.
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You do the math — because that pigeon over there can
msnbc: Pigeons may not be so bird-brained after all, as scientists have found the birds' ability to understand numbers is on par with that of primates. Previous studies have shown that various animals, from honeybees to chimpanzees, can learn to count when trained with food rewards. In 1998, researchers discovered that rhesus monkeys can not only learn to count to four, but can also pick up on numerical rules and apply them to numbers they haven't seen before, allowing them to count up to nine without further training.
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Psychological need drives prejudice in humans: Study
Yahoo India: A deep psychological need drives prejudice, linked to a particular way of thinking, says a study. People who want to make quick and firm decisions, shorn of ambiguity, also generalise about others, said Arne Roets and Alain Van Hiel from the Ghent University, Belgium. 'Of course, everyone has to make decisions, but some people really hate uncertainty and therefore quickly rely on the most obvious information,' said Roets, who led the study. That is also why they favour authorities and social norms which make it easier to make decisions and stick to them, the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science reports. Read the whole story: Yahoo India
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Baby niet te onderschatten
De Standaard: Baby's onthouden meer dan gedacht. Bijvoorbeeld dat ze zonet iets gezien hebben, ook al zijn ze compleet vergeten wat het precies was. Niet zo lang geleden stond het nog in alle handboeken: baby's van minder dan pakweg een half jaar oud vergeten bijna meteen elk object dat ze niet meer kunnen zien. Als de bal uit baby's gezichtsveld verdwenen is, dan bestaat de bal niet meer, wat baby betreft. De kleinste kinderen hebben nog geen objectpermanentie, heette het in het jargon. Maar de werkelijkheid is ingewikkelder, zo blijkt de jongste jaren steeds duidelijker uit experimenten. Zuigelingen hebben soms onvermoede talenten.
