Psychology-Psychiatry
Arabic movie subtitles, Korean tweets, Russian novels, Chinese websites, English lyrics, and even the war-torn pages of the New York Times — research examining billions of words, shows that these sources — and all human language — skews toward the use of happy words. This Big Data study confirms the 1969 Pollyanna Hypothesis that there is a universal human tendency to “look on and talk about the bright side of life.
One of the most obvious and common reasons that people are frequently late is that they simply fail to accurately judge how long a task will take – something known as the planning fallacy. Research has shown that people on average underestimate how long a task will take to complete by a significant 40 percent.
Clearly, we have a lot to learn from twins. I have collected quite enough evidence, much of it at first hand, to show that communication at a distance can take place and can be seen to take place under controlled laboratory conditions. Yet, as I said earlier, this remains one of the most under-researched subjects in all of science. The reason I usually hear is that telepathy is obviously impossible since there is no known mechanism that could explain it.
If you have to make a complex decision, will you do a better job if you absorb yourself in, say, a crossword puzzle instead of ruminating about your options? The idea that unconscious thought is sometimes more powerful than conscious thought is attractive, and echoes ideas popularized by books such as writer Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling Blink.
Have you ever heard people say that they tend to be more of a right-brain or left-brain thinker? It might surprise you learn learn that this idea is just one of many myths about the brain.
A 23-year-old British student has spoken of being “trapped in a time loop” after one of the most unusual cases of extreme déjà vu has crippled the last eight years of his life. The unnamed male, whose experiences formed a case study in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, has been forced to drop out of university, stop reading newspapers or magazines, watching television or listening to the radio – because he believes that he’s seen it all before.
Scientists found that curcumin, a compound found in the root of the Indian spice, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain. It also removed pre-existing fear memories, researchers found. Scientists hope findings will contribute to the development of treatments for psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hugging is beneficial in many ways – it improves relationships, reduces stress, and is just plain fun. Well, here’s another plus to add to the list: according to this study, hugging can actually reduce the severity of the common cold.
By Omar Cherif How do we know we are good at something? I recently started asking myself this question. Does one’s feeling or knowing of being good at a specific activity comes from within, or do we have to compare with others to find out? The reason why this has been on my mind is […]
If you’re in an up mood, you may walk more energetically. But a study finds that purposefully walking more energetically may improve your mood. Christie Nicholson reports
Psychologists found that when volunteers thought they were helping the environment their perception of temperature changed.
From its roots in rap, graffiti, DJing and breakdancing in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s, hip-hop has grown to become a global cultural and commercial powerhouse. But now UK researchers believe they have found a new use for it: as a treatment for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression.
Altruism has posed a puzzle for psychologists and evolutionary biologists for centuries. Why is it that humans will help others even to their own detriment?
By Omar Cherif From my own experience dealing with many sorts of artists those last few years, I can deduct that a significant portion of them are afraid of failure as much as they are afraid of success. Like any kind of fear, this contains and limits them. It cripples them through their artistic journey. […]
Most of us were taught that saying “thank you” is simply the polite thing to do. But recent research in social psychology suggests that saying “thank you” goes beyond good manners – it also serves to build and maintain social relationships
