Is it better to exercise before you learn something new? What about during? And should the exercise be vigorous or gentle? Two new studies helpfully tackle those questions.
Category: research
The Magic Ratio That Wasn’t
The 2009 book Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3 to 1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life, by Barbara Fredrickson, was praised by the heavyweights of psychology. Daniel Gilbert said it provided a “scientifically sound prescription for joy.” Daniel Goleman extolled its “surefire methods for transforming our lives.” Martin E.P. Seligman, often called the father of positive psychology, raved that “this book, like Barb, is the ‘real thing.’”
Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Happiness, New Study Finds
Facebook helps people feel connected, but it doesn’t necessarily make them happier, a new study shows. Facebook use actually predicts declines in a user’s well-being, according to a University of Michigan study that is the first known published research examining Facebook influence on happiness and satisfaction.
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Internet Comments
The “wisdom of crowds” has become a mantra of the Internet age. Need to choose a new vacuum cleaner? Check out the reviews on Amazon. Is that restaurant any good? See what Yelp has to say. But a new study suggests that such online scores don’t always reveal the best choice. A massive controlled experiment of Web users finds that such ratings are highly susceptible to irrational “herd behavior”—and that the herd can be manipulated.
The Real Neuroscience of Creativity
So yea, you know how the left brain is really realistic, analytical, practical, organized, and logical, and the right brain is so darn creative, passionate, sensual, tasteful, colorful, vivid, and poetic?
No.
Just no.
Stop it.
Please.
Study Challenges Popular Perception of New ‘Hookup Culture’ On College Campuses
A University of Portland study challenges the popular perception that there is a “new and pervasive hookup culture” among contemporary college students.
Wait, What’s That? The Science Behind Why Your Mind Keeps Wandering
If you’re experiencing an attention deficit, you’re far from alone.
The Most Depressing Discovery About the Brain, Ever
Say goodnight to the dream that education, journalism, scientific evidence, or reason can provide the tools that people need in order to make good decisions.
To sleep, perchance to clean
In findings that give fresh meaning to the old adage that a good night’s sleep clears the mind, a new study shows that a recently discovered system that flushes waste from the brain is primarily active during sleep. This revelation could transform scientists’ understanding of the biological purpose of sleep and point to new ways to treat neurological disorders.
How much can an extra hour’s sleep change you?
The average Briton gets six-and-a-half hours’ sleep a night, according to the Sleep Council. Michael Mosley took part in an unusual experiment to see if this is enough.