Scientific American

When Pro-Vaccine Messaging Backfires

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:08 EST

Americans get a stream of messages telling them to avoid vaccines, from Jenny McCarthy on Oprah to billboard animations shown in Times Square. The responsible solution--fight back with forceful pro-vaccine messaging, right?

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Shut Off E-Mail to Ease Work Stress

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:34:08 EST

“You’ve got mail.” By alerting you as soon as mail arrives, a constantly open e-mail window keeps you on your toes, right? Actually, a new study finds that closing your in-box can boost concentration and ease stress. The research will be presented at the Association for Computing Machinery's Computer-Human Interaction Conference. [Gloria Mark, Stephen Voida and Armand Cardello," 'A Pace Not Dictated by Electrons': An Empirical Study of Work without E-Mail "]

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Keeping Secrets Weighs You Down, Literally

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:08 EST

Can you keep a secret? We refer to keeping secrets as if they are material things. And a new study suggests that when we know a secret, we perceive ourselves as being physically burdened.

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If We Feel Too Busy, It's Probably Due to Having Too Much Free Time

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:00:08 EST

Objectively time is constant. A minute is a minute. But when we have a lot to do, it usually feels like we have less time. Now a study finds an interesting wrinkle in time: when we busy ourselves with selfless tasks, time seems to expand. The work will be published the journal Psychological Science .

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Men Who Hold a Gun Appear Taller and Stronger

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:00:08 EST

Hey guys, want to look taller? Just pick up a handgun. Because a study finds that men are more often perceived to be big and strong when they hold a gun. The report is in the journal Public Library of Science ONE .

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We Tend to Underestimate How Much We Weigh

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00:08 EST

In a world full of mirrors, what I’m about to tell you may be a surprise. But many overweight people do not know they’re obese. They underestimate their weight, according to a study in the journal Body Image .

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Ability to Learn Is Affected by the Timing of Sleep

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:00:08 EST

Sleep has many functions--including facilitating learning.

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Mind Wandering Is Linked to Your Working Memory

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:00:08 EST

Think you can stay focused on this podcast for the next 60 seconds?

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How to Gain Self-Control

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:00:08 EST

We’ve all had that moment: you wanna punch some jerk right in the face. So, what stops us? Well, simply put, self-control.

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Hunger Affects What We See

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:08 EST

Hunger is the best sauce. And it affects perceptions of anything related to food. Even words.

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Dehydration Affects Women's Moods

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:00:08 EST

Mild dehydration is defined as a 1.5 percent loss in normal water volume in the body. And two recent studies with men and women find that, beyond affecting your body, mild dehydration can impact your mood.

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Why Online Dating Doesn't Work

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:08 EST

Online dating might give you something, but it's probably not a soul mate.

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If Time Is Money, Then Free Time Is Frustrating

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:08 EST

“Time is money” sounds like an efficient strategy. But such a perspective could undermine your overall happiness, according to a study in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology ( pdf )

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More Than One Blow for a Concussion in Football

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:00:08 EST

As you watch the Patriots and Giants smash into each other Sunday, consider this.

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How the Itch Informs the Scratch

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:08 EST

Itch. Past studies have shown that whatever the cause--perhaps just hearing me talk about itch--something triggers nerve fibers that send a signal lighting up three areas of the brain: the emotional regions; the limbic system that sparks the urge to scratch; and the cortex that tells you where to scratch.

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Lack of Sleep Might Make You Feel Hungrier

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:08 EST

Scientists are still trying to understand the full purpose of sleep. But we know one thing it’s probably good for: it may help keep you on that diet.

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Men Spend the Big Bucks When Women Are Scarce

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:00:08 EST

Across the animal kingdom, males are competitive when females are scarce. Now a study with people has examined how the number of women affects men’s attitudes about a marker for competitive fitness: Money. Basically, the fewer the women, the more the men threw their money around. The research is in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology .

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Cognitive Decline Sets in around Age 45

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:08 EST

When people over 65 show losses in their short-term memory and comprehension, it’s no surprise. But a new study claims that a general cognitive decline starts to set in as early as age 45. The research is in the British Medical Journal .

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The Elderly React Slowly Because They Want to Be Right

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:00:08 EST

Older folks may appear to react or process info slowly. But there may be a method to their meander-ness: they’re making sure they get it right.

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Toddlers Don't Monitor Their Own Speech

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:00:08 EST

When I'm talking I can hear my own voice. And with that feedback I can tell almost immediately when I’ve made an error. Like I just did. An error.

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