Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Music may ease stress for ICU patients
Patients hooked up to mechanical ventilation may benefit from listening to music, researchers suggest.
Neurotic? Have More Sex!
As if neurotic people weren't already neurotic enough, they now have to be neurotic knowing their relationships and marriages have a lot more difficulty. But a new study says if neurotic...
Economics professor describes a brain in conflict with itself
We resolve to exercise more, but end up in front of the TV at the end of the day instead of at the gym. We promise to clean up our...
New ground broken on aggression research
Questionnaire results and DNA samples volunteered by a group of University of Alberta students has broken new ground in the study of aggression. U of A Psychology researcher Peter Hurd...
Are all movie viewing experiences enjoyable?
We've all been there: we are watching a movie with a parent or relative when a steamy love scene appears. A new study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that...
Brain's visual circuits do error correction on the fly
The brain's visual neurones continually develop predictions of what they will perceive and then correct erroneous assumptions as they take in additional external information, according to new research done at...
Rapid population aging will raise critical challenges for Asian governments: report
Responding to the challenges posed by a rapidly aging population will be one of the most difficult tasks for Asian governments in the first half of this century, says a...
Is good luck at gambling all in the genes?
A gene associated with rash behaviour may in fact enable shrewd decision-making in risky situations.
Providing incentives to cooperate can turn swords into ploughshares
When two individuals face off in conflict, the classic problem in evolutionary biology known as the prisoner's dilemma says that the individuals are not likely to cooperate even if it...
Maintaining mobility in older age
A study by the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme, a joint initiative by Research Council's UK, examines the relationship between successful aging and mobility patterns. While maintaining mobility plays a...
Smolin Vs Susskind: Part 3 Ripping On Lenny
This is PART III of the four part series about the Edge discussion between Lee Smolin and Leonard Susskind. After criticizing Smolin the last time in PART II, it is...
Feeling chills in response to music
Most people feel chills and shivers in response to music that thrills them, but some people feel these chills often and others feel them hardly at all. People who are...
Tried and true gifts for tech lovers
This is no fantasy-league gift guide compiled from weekly sales fliers and the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog.
Bird songs go online and digital
EAST LANSING, Mich., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Backyard birdwatchers and professional ornithologists alike have a new resource in a U.S. database of bird songs, pictures and information, researchers say.
Scientists: Call for Citizen Review of Funding Is Misleading
Researchers respond to a Republican call for scrutiny of NSF grants.
Well: Lessons From Elizabeth Edwards
Elizabeth Edwards used her celebrity to talk about hope and optimism in the face of breast cancer. As she nears the end of her life, we are still learning from...
What's in a tip? Surprising answers from those who serve you
(PhysOrg.com) -- What's in a gratuity? Is it a reward for good service? A bad way to redistribute wealth? Or a complex social lubricant, easing an awkward relationship?
Alcohol and romantic relationships: A good or bad mix?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking plays an important and sometimes unexpected role from one day to the next in young couples' romantic relationships, according to a new study by University at Buffalo...
Controlling uncertainty: Decision making and learning in complex worlds
(PhysOrg.com) -- In her latest book Controlling Uncertainty: Decision Making and Learning in Complex Worlds Dr Magda Osman (University College London Psychology & Language Sciences) discusses current research about how...
Hyperlink libel fears heard by top court
If a person can be found to have defamed another just by including a hyperlink to a defamatory website, freedom of expression is at risk, Canada's top court heard Tuesday.
Environment affects crime gender gap
While women in general commit far fewer violent crimes than men, a new study by a Northeastern University professor finds the difference between the genders is much smaller in disadvantaged...
Cognitively-impaired human research subjects need better protection, experts say
Practices for protecting human research subjects with Alzheimer's disease and other conditions that make them incapable of giving informed consent are widely variable and in need of more concrete ethical...
Legalizing online gambling bad bet for lame-duck Congress
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The lame-duck Congress may be the last chance for the current Democratic majority to slip through legislation legalizing online gambling, a move that could have dire...
Woman Gives Birth in MRI Machine, World First
A woman gave birth inside an MRI-scanning machine, creating the world's first MRI images of a baby being born.
Letter: Dudley Williams obituary
Malcolm Walker writes: I first met Dudley Williams (obituary, 25 November) in freshers' week in Leeds in 1955. Dudley lived at home for the length of his time at Leeds University –...
Portugal marks ten years in ESA
Celebrating the tenth anniversary of Portugal joining ESA as a Member State, José Mariano Gago, Portuguese Minister of Science and Higher Education, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA’s Director General, met today...
Islam Analysis: Science reforms need to show results
Reforms of science and higher education must deliver results to gain support of society, says science policy specialist Athar Osama.
Forget everything you thought you knew about memory
Research may shed light on why dementia sufferers have memory difficulties.