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Trying Out New Identities Key to Video Games’ Appeal: Study
U.S. News & World Report: One reason why people worldwide spend 3 billion hours per week playing video games may be because the games allow them to "try on" characteristics they might like to have, a new study suggests. The research included hundreds of casual game players and nearly a thousand dedicated players who were asked about their motivation for playing, as well as their post-game emotions. The British researchers found that players' enjoyment seemed to be greater when there was an overlap between their actual self and their "ideal" self. That meant that being able to adopt a new identity during a game made players feel better about themselves and less negative. Read more: U.S.
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Why Scientists and Journalists Don’t Always Play Well Together
Forbes: A few months ago I came across a blog post written by a well-credentialed scientist, the gist of which was that he’d recently given his last interview to a journalist. So horribly were his words misrepresented in the subsequent article that he finally had to draw the line—he’d not contribute to public science schlock ever again. He was infuriated, and with good reason; not only did the article reflect poorly on him, but the focus of the research he discussed was lost in the resulting muck.
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Social Class as Culture
Social class is more than just how much money you have. It’s also the clothes you wear, the music you like, the school you go to—and has a strong influence on how you interact with others, according to the authors of a new article in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. People from lower classes have fundamentally different ways of thinking about the world than people in upper classes—a fact that should figure into debates on public policy, according to the authors.
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Oxytocin: Not Just the “Cuddle Chemical”
SELF Magazine: Feeling all warm and fuzzy? Chalk it up to oxytocin, the touchy-feely hormone that enables mothers to bond with their babies (thus the nickname the "cuddle chemical"). Oxytocin fluctuates throughout our lives--during and after childbirth, as well as when you're sexually aroused or reach the big O. But this feel-good chemical may have a surprising dark side, according to research published in the August issue of the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. Rather than oxytocin making them feel like they were in the "trust tree" singing "Kumbaya," study subjects given the chemical before playing a game of chance exhibited more gloating and envy of their opponents.
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Home builders need to look beyond the focus group to learn what buyers want
Washington Post: What do home buyers want? For more than two decades, home builders have sought to answer this perplexing question by sifting through the information gleaned from focus groups. Typically, the people who participate are looking for a new home or have recently purchased one. The builders ask them questions and incorporate their responses into the making of the next subdivision. But the focus group input does not dramatically affect the sales, and the builders fume that “buyers are liars.” Not at all, said Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University. The problem is the subject under discussion, not the truthfulness of the respondents.
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Pets may not contribute to better health: researcher
The Globe and Mail: You get home after a rough day -- its high point being laid off, getting dumped or finding out your mom's in the hospital -- and Old Yeller charges over, panting with glee at your arrival. Instantly, your face breaks into a smile and the day's worries subside. This could be a PSA that suggests pets equal a longer, happier life, no? Read more:
