February 2010
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January 2010
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PBDE is evil and our government is again... →
PBDEs have been used as flame retardants for four decades and are found in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets and plastics. The chemicals are being phased out nationwide, and certain PBDEs have been banned for use in California. But they are still found in products made before 2004.
“We’re thinking the routes are probably ingestion or hand to mouth. But it seems that the...
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Why We're Failing Our Schools - TIME →
I always like a good article that pokes fun at the teachers’ unions :)
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“It is now clear to me that the main purpose of procedural rules in our legal...”
– Friend
Damn good quote encapsulates some of what ails America :)
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misbi (Hello) →
This is my friend’s new Tumblr. She’s such a pro blogger - used to get 1000s of hits. She’s a star :)
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One Cock, Please | My Mom is a Fob →
My mom and I were eating at a Denny’s a while back, and the following conversation ensued.
Mom: I’d like a cock.
Waitress: Um … a Coke?
Me: Yes, she would like a Coke.
Mom: Yes. A cock.
hahhaaha
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Unattainable Beauty: The Decades Biggest... →
more great examples of air brushing and retouching….this is the world we live in where fake-ness is beloved !
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James Patterson Inc. →
Patterson may lack the name recognition of a Stephen King, a John Grisham or a Dan Brown, but he outsells them all. Really, it’s not even close. (According to Nielsen BookScan, Grisham’s, King’s and Brown’s combined U.S. sales in recent years still don’t match Patterson’s.) This is partly because Patterson is so prolific: with the help of his stable of co-authors, he published nine original...
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Ambition: Why Some People Are Most Likely To... →
OK, so the title of this article is a bit of a tautology, but it’s still thought provoking and interesting.
The idea is that persistence is a genetic, heritable trait…so is ambition…
A few traits together and you have someone who’s super ambitious…
On the one hand, all that is sort of obvious, but what’s cool about this article is that it makes you think...
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Stereotypes: Why We Act Without Thinking (PsyBlog) →
This is actually mis-titled. It’s really about priming. Like if you get people to think about the words “courteous” and “understanding” they act more polite. It’s about the power of situations to influence people.
There is one experiment that speaks to stereotypes - people are more likely to register anger from looking at angry African Americans than...
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Two Clues That Shout It's Over | Psychology Today →
when we like someone, we touch with the full palm of our hands and point our bellies+shoulders towards them (ie not give a cold shoulder) If someone stops doing that, you know you’ve got problems in your relationship…
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Body Language Secrets of the Neck | Psychology... →
cool article about how people cover their neck when they feel threatened by something, and can touch it during periods of stress…. (like when you ask them stressful questions that cause them to lie or make them uncomfortable - great for catching liars!)
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More Men Marrying Wealthier Women - NYTimes.com →
The analysis examines Americans 30 to 44 years old, the first generation in which more women than men have college degrees.
Times are changing….there are a few related articles on this subject….Guys need to get used to the idea that their girlfriend or wife might out-earn them.
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The Psychology of Body Language (through the lens... →
As the child grows, it will develop other adaptive behaviors to pacify himself during stressful situations. Some will be obvious (e.g., gum chewing, pencil biting, lip touching) others not so obvious (e.g., playing with the hair, facial stroking, neck rubbing). And yet, they satisfy the same requirement of the brain; that is, for the body to do something which will stimulate nerves (releasing...
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BBC NEWS | Health | Untidy beds may keep us... →
while an unmade bed may look scruffy it is also unappealing to house dust mites thought to cause asthma and other allergies.
“We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body. “Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will...
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“When we are troubled, frustrated, or struggling with something emotionally, our...”
– The Body Language of the Eyes | Psychology Today
Another body language tidbit - one of those things that you kind of know, but don’t totally….
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BBC NEWS | Health | Bed sharing 'drains men's... →
When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.
Yes, yes yes, I’ve always believed this. So what to do about it? Do you have two beds that are next to each other and enough noise (air conditioner, air purifier, ambient, whatever) that you don’t disturb each other? Is that anality?...
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What The Hands Reveal About Us | Psychology Today →
When we are comfortable and contented blood flows into the hands making them warm and pliable. Stress makes our hands feel colder and more rigid.
· You may not have noticed but when you feel strong and confident, the space between your fingers grows making your hands more territorial. When you feel insecure, that space disappears, in fact, you may find yourself tucking your thumbs under...
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“The first thing to realise about sex addiction,” she says, “is that...”
– Are you addicted to sex? | Life and style | The Guardian
I love when a quote makes something that’s hard to understand so beautifully simple - and of course this topic is getting play with Tiger in rehab…
Here’s a bit more from this article:
The people Hall sees for...
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WatchMalcom Gladwell on spaghetti sauce and happiness
This is a cool little video ! Here’s the direct link with interactive transcript:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html
I like to read these things because I can read faster than I can listen….
The moral of the story is the story of the food industry - how the food industry learned that by...
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Happiness →
psychotherapy posted this article on happiness from which I gleamed two tidbits.
It’s sort of basic, but if you have a lot of friends who RESPECT you that leads to happiness - something that for whatever reason, I’ve never thought a lot about in the context of happiness.
This one line was not the main theme of the article…Here’s a bit of said article:
And one study found...
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BBC News - Pretty women 'anger more easily' →
In the study, the women who believed they were good looking were more likely to respond angrily in disputes than those who rated themselves as less attractive.
Attractive women also had higher expectations of what they deserved.
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The average amount of time the ball is in play on... →
tumbledore:
People watch three hours of football to witness 11 minutes of actual play. This is why American football is boring and why basketball and soccer are the greatest sports in the world.
11 minutes of actual play
12 minutes of shots of the head coaches and referees
17 minutes of replays
60 minutes of commercials
75 minutes of shots of players huddling, standing at the line of...
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““STARTLING results,” promised the CNN teasers….Happy pills don’t...”
– Op-Ed Contributor - The Wrong Story About Depression - NYTimes.com
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The Halo Effect | PsyBlog →
This is another one of those things you kinda know, but don’t totally know…backed up by cool studies…Basically if you like one thing about someone, you’re irrationally biased to like other things about them as well.
thx appliedpsychology
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We fail to predict others' behavior : The False... →
basically we imagine others think like us, when they don’t - it’s always good when clever research backs up something you kinda know but don’t totally know.
thx appliedpsychology
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For those who like to identify body language… I found these two snippets from this article useful…
The curious emotion Your head tilts to one side, your speech quickens and the muscles in your forehead and around your eyes contract as you become engrossed in mastering a bassoon sonata, understanding the thermodynamics of the universe, or perhaps just browsing your stamp collection. ...
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Epigenetics, DNA: How You Can Change Your Genes,... →
great article on epigenetics :)
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“When there is a cultural atmosphere in which professionals, the media, schools,...”
– The Americanization of Mental Illness - NYTimes.com
This article talks about the idea that if an illness is given more attention, people are more likely to unconsciously express symptoms of said illness. It makes sense. You’re not supposed to talk too much about OCD with someone with OCD...
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My Favorite Tweets from @SarahKSilverman
I’m hungry. Like, I’m getting super peckish. But it humbles me because I realize like, this is what life’s like in Darfur all the time. Sadness, you are a cuddly blanket. misogynistic humor offends me because some of my best friends are cunts. I like to think of diarrhea as “fun shit” I try to live each moment like my therapist can see everything I’m doing....
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Antidepressant Pills May Help Only Most Severe... →
Antidepressants such as those made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc may be no better than dummy pills for people with mild or moderate depression, according to a study that suggests 70 percent of patients wouldn’t benefit from the drugs.
in other words… if you’re just a little sad, don’t think a pill can help you …. but if you’re very sad, get a pill
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BBC News - Switzerland millionaire hit by record... →
Switzerland millionaire hit by record speed fine Generic pic of a Ferrari The tycoon was reportedly driving a Ferrari 57km/h (35mph) over the limit A Swiss millionaire has been handed down a record speeding fine of $290,000 (£180,000) by a court. The man was reportedly caught driving a red Ferrari Testarossa at 137km/h (85mph) through a village. The penalty was calculated based on the unnamed...
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Depression Fatigues Brain Reward Systems →
A new study suggests depressed patients appear to exhaust the brain areas related to positive emotions.
The investigation challenges prior thought that individuals with depression have less brain activity in areas associated with positive emotion.
Instead, the new data suggest similar initial levels of activity, but an inability to sustain them over time.
The new work is reported online this...
