Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Dial 5683 for love: Dialling certain numbers on a cell phone changes your emotional state
A psychological scientist in Germany has found a way that cell phones, and specifically texting, have hacked into our brains. Just by typing the numbers that correspond to the letters...
Study links US social security improvements to longer life span
A new study suggests that when US Social Security benefits are improved, people over the age of 65 benefit most, and may even live longer. The authors urge that, as...
One third of us have tried dating websites with middle-aged suitors using them most
A new study suggests that nearly one in three of us who use the internet have visited online dating sites. An international survey of 24,000 men and women who are...
Green: PCBs 5, New York 0: School Tests Continue
Twelve of 15 samples taken from a building housing three schools test positive for unacceptable levels of leaked PCBs.
Can Polio Be Eradicated? A Skeptic Now Thinks So
Dr. Donald A. Henderson had always doubted that polio could be eradicated, but he has now changed his mind.
World's YouTube clips wow Berlin film festival
On a single day last year, ordinary people from 192 countries made a short movie and uploaded it to YouTube. The result: a touching global "day in the life" that...
Learning to listen
Ekene Agu ’13 got a bit of a shock during her freshman year at Harvard College. Agu, who grew up both in Nigeria and in the United States, was startled to read...
Does social anxiety disorder respond to psychotherapy? Brain study says yes
When psychotherapy is helping someone get better, what does that change look like in the brain? This was the question a team of Canadian psychological scientists set out to investigate...
Valentine's Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science
Where did Valentine's Day come from? (Think naked Romans, paganism, and whips.) What does it cost? And why do we fall for it, year after year?
Orangutan Copy Cats
Copying what others do is a familiar human trait; whether it's the latest teenage craze in fashion or the way many of us are eager to follow the crowd....
Playtime helps bind generations
A new study has confirmed an old adage: A family that plays together stays together. Researchers examined the ways grandparents can maintain close ties with their adult grandchildren. True to...
Women with eating disorders draw a different picture of themselves than women without, study suggests
Women suffering from anorexia or bulimia draw themselves with prominently different characteristics than women who do not have eating disorders and who are considered of normal weight, suggests a new...
Thought of Valentine's Puts Men in a Chivalrous Mood
When subtlety reminded of love, men become more chivalrous, a new study finds.
The UK is a nation of happy couples
Researchers at the Institute for Social and Economic Research asked both individuals in the couple to rate their happiness on a seven point scale; from the lowest score of 'extremely...
Overcoming the 'fear of Insignificance'
In the not-too-distant past, young people aspired to become lawyers and doctors. Now they yearn to achieve the celebrity of a Mark Zuckerberg or Oprah Winfrey -- and these goals...
Crime Documentaries, But Not 'Law & Order,' Linked to Fear
True crime shows but not fictional dramas are linked with fear of becoming a crime victim, a new study finds.
Scientists boost perception using rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation
Researchers at the University of Glasgow and University College London (UCL) have, for the first time, enhanced visual perception through rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the brain.
Total cooperation among people is not viable
A situation where a majority of people cooperate never happens. This is due to the fact that a significant number of individuals never cooperate and if they do it is...
'Inputs' that boost Latino students' test scores revealed in study
Latina/o students' math and reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test scores improve when urban schools increase operating expenditures, decrease student-teacher ratios and increase the number of bilingual...
Giffords mouthing song lyrics
U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' efforts to relearn how to speak have included mouthing song lyrics, such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Happy Birthday to You, as friends and family...
John Gray: 'The myths of animism and religion have retreated, only to resurface through the channel of science' – video
John Gray, author of The Immortalisation Commission, on the tendency for humans to seek life after death through science, just as through religionAndy GallagherDavid ShariatmadariChristian Bennett
Prairie dogs kiss for an audience
Adult prairie dogs kiss more when people are watching, say researchers studying the effects of captivity on animal behaviour.
Support for fast-tracked bio-cremation bill dissolves under scientific scrutiny, but a revival is brewing
In an example of how little examination some bills receive, it took a legislative intern to point out serious concerns about a bio-cremation bill that was sailing through the Legislature....
Liberal bias: science writing's elephant in the room?
Does the lack of political diversity among science writers and bloggers risk alienating large portions of the public?At the conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Texas last week, Professor...
Judgment Day?
Guarantee: 21 May 2011 will be Judgment Day -- 100% guaranteed!Throughout our history, religious leaders and organizations have claimed that their holy books provide accurate prophecies about the End Of The World. The...
Fake Love With Robots (and Sherry Turkle)
I noticed today [Feb 6] that Kyle Munkittrick posted about Sherry Turkle's concerns about people having emotional attachments to machines (The Turkle Test). Love at first sight? read more
Don't cherry-pick NHS findings, minister | Ben Goldacre
Health minister Paul Burstow is making the same errors on overstating NHS failings as his boss Andrew LansleyOne thing you hope for, with politicians, is that they won't make the same mistakes over...
Single white feline
Caturday smile: Is your cat the reason that true love runs away from you?Does YOUR cat act suspiciously when Valentine's Day comes around? Pet recommendation for single people:...