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Out of Body Experiences?
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After a class on out-of-body experiences, a psychology graduate student at the University of Ottawa came forward to researchers to say that she could have these voluntarily, usually before sleep. "She appeared surprised that not everyone could experience this," wrote the scientists in a study describing the case, published in February in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. One would think that if you could leave your own body and float above it, you'd be a little more... vocal about it. But since it was a common experience for her--one she "began performing as a child when bored with 'sleep time' at preschool... moving above her body" instead of napping--it may have appeared unremarkable. This is way more interesting than what I did, which wa ...
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2773 |
ehd123 |
10 years ago |
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1867 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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6541 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
When's the best time to make a decision?
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You might think that it's better to be well-fed rather than starving when you're trying to make a big, life-changing decision, but new research suggests quite the opposite. According to a research study conducted by Utrecht University in the Netherlands, people who were hungry because of having fasted overnight perform better on a complex decision task than sated people. ( Click here to read the research). This provides a first piece of evidence that the hot state of hunger improves, rather than compromises, advantageous decision making. Their experimental evidence suggests that the "hot state of hunger promoted rather than compromised complex decisions with uncertain outcomes that are advantageous in the long run as hungry participants were ...
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7692 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Why do we listen to sad music?
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No one wants to be sad. So why do we love listening to sad songs so much? New research suggests that we're drawn to sad songs because they evoke mostly positive emotions, which is great for our mental health. According to the study published by the journal PLOS One, researchers found that "a wide range of complex and partially positive emotions, such as nostalgia, peacefulness, tenderness, transcendence, and wonder," were brought out in the participants that took part in the study by sad music. These are emotions are all healthy, feel-good emotions. The researchers concluded that "Music-evoked sadness plays a role in well-being, by providing consolation as well as regulating negative moods and emotions." Source: http://www.plosone.org/article ...
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5447 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Can money buy happiness?
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I really enjoyed the way the folks at ASAP Science break it down in this video. Long story short, if you want the best bang for your buck, spend your money on others, and stop spending money on material goods. Having a five-dollar latte can be more beneficial than buying a $100,000 Porsche.
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6867 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Weird things happen when you stare into someone's eyes
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According to a new study conducted out of Italy, staring into another individuals eyes could induce hallucinogenic effects. The experiment is simple: get two individuals to look into each other's eyes for 10 minutes while they are sitting in a dimly lit room. The sensations that ensue resemble mild "dissociation" - a rather vague psychological term for when people lose their normal connection with reality. It can include feeling like the world is unreal, memory loss and odd perceptual experiences, such as seeing the world in black and white Healthy participants said they'd had "... a compelling experience unlike anything they'd felt before", they scored higher on a dissociative states questionnaire than control participants, and 75 per cent ...
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2206 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Dogs can read human emotions
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Dog owners often say they "know" that their dog understands what they’re feeling. Now, scientists have the evidence to back this up. Researchers tested 17 adult dogs of various breeds to see whether they could recognize emotional expressions in the faces and voices of humans and other dogs - an ability that’s considered a higher cognitive talent because two different senses are involved. Each dog took part in two test sessions with 10 trials. One by one, they stood facing two screens on which the researchers projected photos of unfamiliar but happy/playful human or dog faces versus the same faces with angry/aggressive expressions (as in the photo above). At the same time, the scientists played a single vocalization - either a dog bark, ...
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8727 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Are you a 'supertaster'?
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A supertaster is a individual who lives in a more intense taste world because they have up to twice as many taste buds than the average person. Among individuals of European descent, it is estimated that about 25% of the population are supertasters. The evolutionary advantage to supertasting is unclear. In some environments, heightened taste response, particularly to bitter plant alkaloids, would represent an important advantage. However, other environments, increased response to bitter may have limited the range palatable goods. In our modern energy rich environment, supertasting may be cardioprotective, due to decreased liking and intake of fat, but may increase cancer risk via deceased vegetable intake. It may be a cause of picky eating ...
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1436 |
bio_man |
6 years ago |
Male hand grip strength predicts your reproductive fitness and sexual behavior
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If you've ever been told to give a firm handshake at the start of an interview, this advice now holds scientific truth with a new study published by Frontiers in Psychology.According to the study, hand grip strength correlates with numerous measures involved in social and sexual competition in men, and typically fails to correlate (or to a lesser extent) with these measures among women. Given that this trait scores highest in people between the ages of 24 and 39 years, and subsequently weakens as we age, the author insists that hand grip strength is a powerful indicator of health and vitality for both men and women, as it relates to overall physical functioning and morbidity. Researchers of the study mention that the predominantly male-speci ...
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1292 |
bio_man |
5 years ago |
Child with ADHD vs. one who is simply more active
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What's the difference between a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one who is simply more active than other children?Many children are rambunctious, to an extent that their parents or teachers find somewhat worrisome. Figuring out how to distinguish between normal high-energy levels and pathological overactivity can be quite difficult. Furthermore, the distinction can be complicated by parental tendencies to be permissive and to fail to set up clear rules, reprimands, or restrictions for when a child steps outside the limits. Figuring out how to make this distinction is not a trivial issue. Children diagnosed with ADHD are usually prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin) or other medications that lessen their activity ...
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4410 |
bio_man |
2 years ago |
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3167 |
savio |
10 years ago |
I swear that thing was looking at me
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Pareidolia is a phenomenon that allows us to "see" faces and other objects in completely unrelated objects and settings. Carl Sagan theorized that this provided an evolutionary advantage, as it allows humans to better recognize each other, even under poor visual circumstances. The important thing to remember is that even though these images may seem significant and life-changing, they aren't. It's all just a really fun figment of your imagination.
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8919 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Beautiful people make more daughters
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Beautiful people make more daughters, according to a study.
Why? It is more genetically advantageous for females to be attractive, as (in a heterosexual relationship anyway) males are more likely to choose a female partner who is attractive for both short and long-term mating, while a female partner is less likely to choose an attractive male for the long-term. Thus, for procreation among attractive people, it is less necessary to make males.
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4398 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Animal hitchhikers
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Don't ask questions, just get on. Genets are small, mongoose-like felines found in Africa - and this one has been caught on camera hitching rides from at least two different species over the past month. This is the first time this behaviour has ever been seen in the mammal...
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6004 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
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