February 2012
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Time: Latinos could pick the next president
The latest cover of Time makes a bold statement. (Time Magazine)
Politicians, you’ve been warned. The latest cover of Time magazine proclaims “Yo Decido. Why Latinos will pick the next president.”
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“People with more difficult lives tend to be more gullible.”
– According to a University of Leicester study, people who had a difficult life in childhood and adolescence are actually more likely to be misled than people who’d lived sheltered lives. According to researchers, rather than toughening people up, adverse experiences actually conditioned them...
January 2012
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WatchMajor Lazer
Original Don, sword play: serious fun. #TGIF
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“Your ethnicity influences where you look to recognize a person’s face.”
– The “looking pattern” with which we recognize other people varies between cultures and ethnicities, according to a study conducted by by the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and published in the journal PLoS One. Westerners look mostly in a triangular pattern, moving between...
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“Positive moods tend to cause selfish behavior.”
– A study at the University of New South Wales engendered good moods or bad moods in 45 participants by giving them either positive or negative feedback on a cognitive test (the feedback had nothing to do with their actual performance) and gauged their moods with a questionnaire. They then gave...
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"Trans-fat consumption shrinks the brain."
A study in the journal Neurology indicates that a diet high in trans fats not only impairs cognition in aging brains, it is also correlated with actual brain shrinkage. The research found that older people with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids performed better on cognitive tests than those with lower levels, while the reverse held true for trans fats. Fat levels and other nutritional...
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""Whatever" is the most annoying word."
An annual survey by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion asked 1,026 adults to name the most annoying piece of conversational filler and, for the third year running, the winner (about 40%) was “whatever.” About a quarter of respondents were similarly bothered by “like” and “you know.” Rounding out the list were “just saying” and...
December 2011
35 posts
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“Sad people have more accurate memories.”
– Being unhappy brings with it a slew of adverse effects on cognition, including a diminished ability to engage in abstract critical thinking — but evidently facial recognition is exempt from this effect. A study in Consciousness and Cognition encouraged happy or sad moods in student...
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“People who watch reality TV are more likely to believe that meanness is...”
– The Girl Scout Research Institute gathered data from a thousand teenage girls, about half of whom watched reality TV regularly. Most of them were consciously aware that reality TV engendered bad behavior, but that didn’t make them immune to its effects. Compared to non-viewers, more...
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Louis CK's thing: A great success. →
A statement from Louis CK
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"Walking speed can predict overall health."
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center analyzed data from over 35,000 people over the age of 65 and found that walking speed was one of the most accurate predictors of longevity. The participating seniors typically moved at around speeds of 2.2 miles per hour. For every 0.1 meters per second they moved faster than that, they were 12 percent more likely to be alive a decade...
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WatchJesus Responds to Rick Perry’s “Strong” Ad
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“Beer goggles” are partially due to impaired perception of symmetry.”
– Facial symmetry is among the features that we’re least able to notice once we’ve been drinking, according to a study in the journal Alcohol. Researchers sought out and tested drunken bar patrons, giving them a breathalyzer test and asking them to examine 20 pairs of photos for facial...