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Flagging up bias
The Economist: FLAGS are powerful symbols. They appear on ships, parliaments, schools, lapels and even—sometimes—underwear. Exactly what effect they have on people’s behaviour, though, is seldom a topic of scientific inquiry. Melissa Ferguson of Cornell University is trying to change that. In 2007 she and her colleagues conducted a study in Israel. They found that those who had had subliminal exposure to their country’s flag before being asked their political views expressed more moderate opinions about the Palestinian conflict than did those who were not shown the flag.
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Pet theraphy: gli animali domestici migliorano davvero la salute?
Yourself Italia: Una nuova ricerca sfata la credenza comune secondo la quale avere un animale domestico porta ad una vita più felice, più sana e più lunga. Secondo Harold Herzog, professore di psicologia alla Western Carolina University e autore di un recente studio in materia, queste credenze non sono necessariamente false, ma non sono mai state dimostrate.
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How Your Online Image Affects Your Professional Life
You Beauty: While the professional networking site LinkedIn is now regarded as the second most-popular social networking site in the U.S., Facebook still stands strong at number one, with over 160 million users. Your Facebook profile can play an important role in your professional life, whether or not you realize it. And the first thing people see on Facebook—before they read about your dual degree or favorite rom-coms—is your profile picture. If you’re in the market for a job, it’s a no-brainer that you shouldn’t showcase your rowdy margarita night. But what about a more conservative pic with a group of your friends? Maybe not. Employers don’t necessarily want to know how friendly you are.
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Don’t Blame Facebook for the Narcissism Epidemic
Discovery News: Social media-minded millennials are the most narcissistic generation on record, but recent psychological research indicates that Facebook isn’t to blame for that image obsession. Despite multiple media reports to the contrary, Facebook and social networking sites (SNS) aren’t fueling a narcissism epidemic among younger people. “We do know that narcissism levels among millennials are higher than previous generations and that this rise in narcissism has coincided with the explosion of Facebook,” said Shawn Bergman, an assistant professor of organizational psychology at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
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Are Pet Owners Really Happier or Healthier?
Time: "While pets are undoubtedly good for some people, there is presently insufficient evidence to support the contention that pet owners are healthier or happier or that they live longer." Harold Herzog, professor of psychology at Western Carolina University, writing in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. Herzog, a pet owner and pet lover himself, says that to date, studies conducted to determine whether having a pet improves health and longevity have "produced a mishmash of conflicting results." He calls for more scientific study into the matter. Read the whole story: Time
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Psychology: We Play Video Games to Chase Our ‘Ideal Selves’
Time: What exactly is it about video games that holds so much drawing power? Last year, a staggering 500 million video games were sold throughout the world, and, despite some recent slippage earlier in May, the industry as a whole remains one of the biggest, most lucrative markets out there. Now, a new study set to be published in a coming issue of Psychological Science seeks to uncover exactly what it is about video games that attracts such a passionate and dedicated fan base.
