Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
McManus: Obama's healthcare albatross
The president kept his campaign pledge, but it could haunt him in November.There's a seeming paradox in the way Americans view the healthcare law that President Obama and the Democrats...
Men respond more aggressively than women to stress and it's all down to a single gene
The pulse quickens, the heart pounds and adrenalin courses through the veins, but in stressful situations is our reaction controlled by our genes, and does it differ between the sexes?...
Selfish Kids? Immature Brain Gets the Blame
Young children behave selfishly not because they understand the benefits of sharing, but because an immature region of their brain makes it hard to resist selfish impulses, a new study...
The Mystery of 18 Twitching Teenagers in Le Roy
When 18 students started twitching, parents suspected the environment. The answer turned out to be much more complex.
China's 'soft' blog censorship studied
PITTSBURGH, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've analyzed "soft" censorship of social media in China, identifying politically sensitive terms Chinese censors may notice.
Chimpanzees have police officers, too
Chimpanzees are interested in social cohesion and have various strategies to guarantee the stability of their group. Anthropologists now reveal that chimpanzees mediate conflicts between other group members, not for...
Loss of sleep leads to 'cyberloafing'
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 7 (UPI) -- The loss of sleep in the shift to daylight saving time results in workers spending more time surfing the Web for non-work-related...
JPL Celebrates Women in Space Exploration
In honor of Women's History Month, JPL is hosting an event on March 8 to recognize the success of women in science and engineering.
So why do false 'chupacabra' reports persist?
It was only a matter of time: Another chupacabra sighting has been reported in Latin America.
Simple Stats Let You Win More Than You Lose When Playing The Lottery
So goes popular opinion: the lottery’s an egregious societal evil implemented and overseen by shape-shifting, blood-drinking reptilian aliens. And that may be largely true – designed to slowly and quietly...
The right type of words: Words spelled on right side of keyboards lead to more positive emotions
Words spelled with more letters on the right of the keyboard are associated with more positive emotions than words spelled with more letters on the left, according to new research...
To the mat no longer
In Los Angeles, people are increasingly rejecting yoga in favor of boot camp or kickboxing. They say it's for fitness, but that's not true: It's all about what they see...
Nasty people in the media prime the brain for aggression
Research over the past few decades has shown that viewing physical violence in the media can increase aggression in adults and children. But a new study has also found that...
Upper class people more likely to behave unethically
New studies reveal something the well off may not want to hear. Individuals who are relatively high in social class are more likely to engage in a variety of unethical...
Eating berries benefits the brain
Strong scientific evidence exists that eating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berry fruits has beneficial effects on the brain and may help prevent age-related memory loss and other changes, scientists...
Old memories interfere with remembering new ones
Scans reveal how the brain juggles outdated and fresh information
Health uncertainties torment Japanese in nuke zone
(AP) -- Yoshiko Ota keeps her windows shut. She never hangs her laundry outdoors. Fearful of birth defects, she warns her daughters: Never have children.
How repeated stress impairs memory
Anyone who has ever been subject to chronic stress knows that it can take a toll on emotions and the ability to think clearly. Now, new research uncovers a neural...
Science book delayed when someone notices it's written by creationists | @GrrlScientist
Once again, Evil Scientists have thwarted a plan by those vile Creationists to take over the worldOnce again, Evil Scientists have thwarted a plan by those vile Creationists to take over the world.Creation...
Cultural Factors Figure Largely in Food Safety Crisis Communication
A risk communication study reveals how cultural differences trigger varying responses to individual versus company blame in crisis messages.
Autism: Don't look now -- I'm trying to think
Children with autism look away from faces when thinking, especially about challenging material, according to new research.
Stumped by a Problem? This Technique Unsticks You
Stuck solving a problem? Seek the obscure, says Tony McCaffrey, a psychology PhD from the University of Massachusetts. “There’s a classic obstacle to innovation called ‘functional fixedness,’ which...
Varied views towards the Falkland Islands dispute from young Argentines
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have found that that the opinions of young people in Argentina towards the Falklands/Malvinas Islands are varied and influenced by a number of factors...
Biodegradable Transistors Are Made From...You
The basis of the computing revolution is silicon but that popularity has led to e-waste. We are okay with iPads being made in Chinese child labor sweat shops but we...
OPINION: I want to play videogames when I grow up (and so should you)
Despite being demonised by parent groups, videogames can provide psychological and physical benefits, Michael Kasumovic writes.
The carriers of memory
Almost 100 years after the outbreak of World War I, public opinion about war in many of the countries that fought appears to have shifted completely. Historian Jay Winter explains...
MMR row: high court rules doctor should not have been struck off
Judge rules that decision to strike off Professor John Walker-Smith for serious professional misconduct cannot standA doctor has won his high court battle against being struck off over the MMR jab controversy.Professor John...
The helper
Jacob Wamala Photo: Allegra Boverman Jacob Wamala spent two years as a wide receiver for MIT’s varsity football team, goes for long runs along the Charles River and engages in hours-long pickup basketball...