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Chinese-English Speakers Translate English into Chinese Automatically
Over half the world’s population speaks more than one language. But it’s not clear how these languages interact in the brain. A new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that Chinese people who are fluent in English translate English words into Chinese automatically and quickly, without thinking about it. Like her research subjects, Taoli Zhang of the University of Nottingham is originally from China, but she lives in the UK and is fluent in English. She co wrote the new paper with her colleagues, Walter J.B. van Heuven and Kathy Conklin.
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The Behavioral Immune System
Scientific American: We are prejudiced against all kinds of other people, based on superficial physical features: We react negatively to facial disfigurement; we avoid sitting next to people who are obese, or old, or in a wheelchair; we favor familiar folks over folks that are foreign. If I asked you why these prejudices exist and what one can do to eliminate them, your answer probably wouldn't involve the words "infectious disease." Perhaps it should. What does infectious disease have to do with these prejudices? The answer lies in something that I've come to call the "behavioral immune system." The behavioral immune system is our brain's way of engaging in a kind of preventative medicine.
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Videogames: An untapped source of calm?
CBS News: Video games may soon join the ranks of yoga and meditation as sources of calm and compassion, according to a new study that finds video games can have many psychological benefits. "Our research shows that playing relaxing video games puts people in a better mood," said Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University and co-author of the study. "These games don't only have a positive effect on the person who plays them -- the effect reaches other people too because people who are in a good mood state are more willing to help others Read more: CBS News
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Give the impression you want the job — sit up straight
Financial Post: If you show enthusiasm, ask questions, speak authoritatively, it’s all you need to get that job, make the impression in the group, or make a good presentation, say career counsellors and advisors. Yet an often overlooked factor — good posture — may be an even more powerful force. According to research by L. Huang and associates, of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and published in Psychological Science, posture plays an important role in determining whether people act as though they are in charge.
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Defining manhood is no easy task
Milwaukee -Wisconsin Journal Sentinel: You've likely seen one of those TV ads where some guy is told to "man up!" You know, it's where some fellow is portrayed as a wimp, is subsequently insulted by some hot babe or a group of manly men, and then slinks off in humiliation. Well, these advertisers, shameful as they are for employing such tactics, are on to something. In an unconscious way, most men sense that their gender identity, or manhood, is determined by how they are perceived by others far more than by their physiology. Sure, any guy can look in the mirror to confirm his gender, but manhood is much more a state of mind than one of body.
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A Defect That May Lead to a Masterpiece
The New York Times: In learning to draw or paint, it helps to have a sense of composition, color and originality. And depth perception? Maybe not so much, neuroscientists are now suggesting. Instead, so-called stereo blindness — in which the eyes are out of alignment so the brain cannot fuse the images from each one — may actually be an asset. Looking at the world through one eye at a time automatically “flattens the scene,” said Margaret S. Livingstone, an expert on vision and the brain at Harvard Medical School who helped carry out a study on stereo vision.
