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No Evidence of Seasonal Differences in Depressive Symptoms
A large-scale survey of U.S. adults provides no evidence that levels of depressive symptoms vary from season to season, according to new research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings are inconsistent with the notion of seasonal depression as a commonly occurring disorder. “In conversations with colleagues, the belief in the association of seasonal changes with depression is more-or-less taken as a given and the same belief is widespread in our culture,” says Steven LoBello, a professor of psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery and senior author on the new study.
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Scientists say sorry, but speed reading doesn’t work
Business Insider: I'll be the first to admit it: My life would be a whole lot easier if I could speed read. Instead of spending an hour poring over a dense scientific paper I'm writing about, I'd spend just a few minutes and understand everything perfectly. Unfortunately, while there are plenty of businesses out there claiming they could teach me to do just that, a new study suggests those claims are basically bogus. For the study, published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, researchers present a series of takedowns of different arguments put forth by proponents of speed reading. Read the whole story: Business Insider
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Episode 677: The Experiment Experiment
NPR: A few years back, a famous psychologist published a series of studies that found people could predict the future — not all the time, but more often than if they were guessing by chance alone. The paper left psychologists with two options. "Either we have to conclude that ESP is true," says Brian Nosek, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, "or we have to change our beliefs about the right ways to do science." Read the whole story: NPR
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The Energizing Effect of Humor
Humor may actually help people persevere in completing arduous tasks, researchers have found.
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Headstrong
The Boston Globe: RESEARCH HAS SHOWN that the theoretical benefit of safety equipment can be much lower in reality because users feel more comfortable taking greater risks. In a new experiment, psychologists found that this effect may be even more deeply ingrained than we think. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
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Traditional Toys May Beat Gadgets in Language Development
The New York Times: Baby laptops, baby cellphones, talking farms — these are the whirring, whiz-bang toys of the moment, many of them marketed as tools to encourage babies’ language skills. But in the midst of the holiday season, a new study raises questions about whether such electronic playthings make it less likely that babies will engage in the verbal give-and-take with their parents that is so crucial to cognitive development. ... “When you put the gadgets and gizmos in, the parents stop talking,” said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University who was not involved in the new study, but who has found similar effects with e-books and electronic shape-sorters.
