Posts tagged psychology
Can Court-ordered Rehab Work?
Lindsay Lohan checked in at the Betty Ford Clinic this week, marking at least the seventh time she’s been in rehab. Lohan’s case isn’t even all that unusual, as the New York Daily News points out with a slideshow featuring over 40 celebrities who have been in rehab. Meanwhile, Gawker published a guide to the most popular rehab centers among celebrities.
But it raises the question: Does court-ordered rehab work?
i wonder what it would take for this to happen again… would China have to launch people to the moon or mars to get American’s excited about space again?
Fifty-five years ago today, the Soviet Union launched history’s first artificial satellite.
Sputnik was an innocuous satellite; Soviet scientists behind the launch were just happy to successfully put the probe into orbit. But in the United States the reaction was different.
The engineering feat very quickly gave way to hysteria and paranoia. President Eisenhower initially downplayed the role of the satellite as a threat to find that he’d grossly underestimated its psychological impact.
Why Dogs Really Do Feel Your Pain
Dogs may empathize with humans more than any other animal, including humans themselves.
During one experimental condition, the people hummed in a weird way. For that one, the scientists were trying to see if unusual behavior itself could trigger canine concern. The people also talked and pretended to cry.
The majority of the dogs comforted the person, owner or not, when that individual was pretending to cry. The dogs acted submissive as they nuzzled and licked the person, the canine version of “there there.
How the Price of Gas Reveals a Big Atlantic Divide
Europeans pay at least double what Americans do in gas prices. In some countries, gas prices are even more than that.
As American families pack up their cars and head out on the road for the long Memorial Day weekend, many will grumble about gas prices. Though, prices are projected to be modestly lower than a year ago, the pain at the pump feels like a very American ailment.
It’s not as much of an issue, let alone a political talking point, across the pond as it is here. To Europeans, gas is viewed as more of a privilege than a right.
Where does that thinking come from?
It’s skin deep and pitch perfect sometimes.
When people chose between images of real candidates that were digitally altered to be unrecognizable and to emphasize facial structure, a 2007 study in Evolution and Human Behavior found that voters in the experiment mirrored results of actual elections — suggesting that faces hold real power over us.
Thinking Outside The Box, With Our Bodies And Our Brains
People who hold a warm cup of coffee rate a stranger’s personality as warmer than those without the coffee in hand. People who are asked to alternate between two hands in a lifting motion (“on the one hand, on the other hand”) generated more ideas than those who lifted only a single hand.
Apologies: Do They Make It All Better?
In the past seven days, President Barack Obama has apologized to Afghanistan for NATO troops burning Qurans; Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel apologized to the relatives of 10 people believed to have been killed by a neo-Nazi group; the Mormon Church said it would discipline members who may have posthumously baptized Anne Frank; and a rising PGA golfer apologized for spitting on the course.
At their best, public apologies restore relationships or even improve them. At their worst, the perpetrator ends up needing to apologize for the botched attempt and the initial offense, said attorney and business ethics expert Lauren Bloom, author of “The Art of the Apology.” Even a lousy attempt, however, is better than nothing.
Is Social Media Spreading Twitching Hysteria?
Doctors treating the strange case of nearly 20 teenagers with a twitching disorder in upstate New York say the symptoms may be spreading faster through the girls’ own use of Facebook other forms of social media.
Giants vs. Patriots, Round Two: The Psychology of the Rematch
Sports psychologist Dr. Michael Lardon says that rematches can leave athletes prone to certain psychological foibles. Anticipating a rematch can cause athletes to allocate chunks of their attention to criteria outside of their control, like the crushing pain from previous defeat or the confidence gained from a prior win, and detract from their ability to stay focused on the task at hand. To avoid such pitfalls, Lardon suggests athletes work to keep their minds trained on executing particular roles in the upcoming game rather than focusing on the desired outcome. “That’s what made Pete Sampras such a great athlete: He would never focus on winning, he’d focus on execution,” says Lardon.
Why We Chicken Out at the Last Minute
Researchers say people may wrongly predict their behavior in embarrassing situations because of an “empathy gap” with their future selves.
Should ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Focus on the Negative?
Two social science researchers think there’s more to understanding what inspires people to resist or promote change.
In psychology, the idea of system justification, or ignoring negative information to maintain the status quo, is well documented. But embracing negative information to promote change has received less attention until now.
Called “system change,” the theory is put forth by psychology researchers at Ohio State University. It suggests that people accept negative information about themselves or society if they think they have the ability to change things for the better.
In other words, facing negative information (rather than ignoring it) may depend on whether a person feels effective, or believes he can actually control or change something.
Marianne English looks at the psychology of motivating a movement.
