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Where Does Self-Discipline Come From?
Willpower is the key to much that’s good in life. Willpower is what makes us save for the future rather than splurge now. It helps us to keep our heads down, studying and working when we really don’t feel like it, to earn that degree or promotion. Willpower allows us to say no to that tempting cigarette, extra dessert, or second glass of whiskey—and to hop on the treadmill. And, of course, failures of self-control can sabotage all those goals. So it’s no wonder that psychological scientists have been studying willpower for decades, trying to figure out who is disciplined under what circumstances—and why.
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Babies Know What’s Fair
“That’s not fair!” It’s a common playground complaint. But how early do children acquire this sense of fairness? Before they’re 2, says a new study. “We found that 19- and 21-month-old infants have a general expectation of fairness, and they can apply it appropriately to different situations,” says University of Illinois psychology graduate student Stephanie Sloane, who conducted the study with UI’s Renée Baillargeon and David Premack of the University of Pennsylvania. The findings appear in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science. In each of two experiments, babies watched live scenarios unfold.
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‘Likes Long Walks in the Woods on Autumn Days’
Huffington Post: Valentine's Day is for many just a cruel reminder that they have not yet found the love of their life, their soul mate, their life partner. And let's face it: finding that special person can be tough in 21st-century America. The village matchmakers are long gone, along with the villages themselves, and most of us are spread far and wide, without the traditional networks of family and old friends. That's why millions are turning to online dating services, which promise to use math and science to find people dates -- and often more than dates, life partners. But how reliable are these popular services, and the matchmaking algorithms they use?
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Uomini e donne: quanti malintesi!
la Repubblica: Per la prima volta degli scienziati affrontano seriamente il problema dell'interpretazione dei segnali erotico-amorosi tra i sessi. Scoprendo come spesso gli uomini fraintendono i messaggi ma proprio per questo hanno successo. ne abbiamo parlato con alcuni esperti che ci svelano altri risvolti interessanti di Sara Ficocelli Read the full story: la Repubblica
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Fragmented sleep, fragmented personality?
Los Angeles Times: Maybe Sybil just needed a good night's sleep. Multiple personality disorder is a rare and extreme form of what psychiatrists call "dissociative disorder," and it was popularized by the publication in the early 1970s of the novel "Sybil." Psychiatrists have long thought that dissociative disorder might be a person's natural response to extreme trauma, such as child sexual abuse, during which a victim might psychologically protect him or herself by "going away." A patient experiencing dissociation might describe feeling outside or separate from himself or from reality.
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The Therapist May See You Anytime, Anywhere
The New York Times: The very idea of psychotherapy seems to defy the instant-access, video screen chatter of popular digital culture. Not for long, if some scientists have their way. In the past few years researchers have been testing simple video-game-like programs aimed at relieving common problems like anxiety and depression. These recent results have been encouraging enough that investigators are now delivering the programs on smartphones — therapy apps, in effect, that may soon make psychological help accessible anytime, anywhere, whether in the grocery store line, on the bus or just before a work presentation. Read the full story: The New York Times
