February 2011
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Just read Balanced Arguments Are More Persuasive — PsyBlog
big takeaway is that you’re way more convincing is if you present the other side of an argument, although in order to be effective you actually have to refute the other side of an argument too. So if you just give one side of an argument, it’s not so effective.
January 2011
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“the incidence of celiac disease in Sweden rose after parents were advised to...”
– Breast may not be best for the first six months of life, some experts say - latimes.com
This is interesting, but I still don’t like wheat and gluten all that much…
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Just read Persuasion: The Right-Ear Advantage — PsyBlog
If you have a random request, ask someone in their right ear. They’re more than twice as likely to comply. I think it’s because people prefer to listen with their right ear, and the information they receive in their right ear is more thoroughly processed. I believe this assumes they are right handed.
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“By increasing our arousal, though, caffeine makes us process incoming messages...”
– Caffeine Makes Us Easier to Persuade — PsyBlog
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Can P&G make money in places where people earn $2... →
Great article on how people who make 135$ dollars a year, still spend 1.5$ on shampoo - to look pretty for their husband, i.e. how to market to the poorest of the poor.
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“Breaking wind is set to be made a crime in an African country. The government of...”
– African country set to make breaking wind a crime | Mail Online
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“if one person in a group repeats the same opinion three times, it has 90% of the...”
– Loudest Voice = Majority Opinion — PsyBlog
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Big takeaway from The Persuasive Power of Swearing — PsyBlog is that swearing can make you seem more persuasive, yet unprofessional, so the implicit advice is to use it to convince in private situations where your professional reputation won’t be damaged.
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“let’s have a look at six common techniques of influence that you’ll...”
– 3 Universal Goals to Influence People — PsyBlog
love this list
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“students who spend 10 minutes before an exam writing about their thoughts and...”
– Writing exercise said to prevent test anxiety - The Boston Globe
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“Child: Mommy, I’m not good at softball.
Mom: Doesn’t matter whether...”
– Effort, Not Achievement | Greater Good
interesting parenting philosophy.
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Oxalic Acid and Foods →
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“A lot of people don’t know you can share your Amazon Prime membership with...”
– Amazon’s free-shipping secret | Fully Equipped - CNET Reviews
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“The florets and stems of broccoli are very similar in their nutrient content,...”
– WHFoods: Which has more nutrients - the stems or florets of broccoli?
I always thought florets were way healthier. Wrong.
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“In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent...”
– Mark Hyman, MD: How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life
cultural change caused by increase in transportation, I think…but it doesn’t explain cities - I mean in cities eating out would be an option even in a world without cars being so common, so it’s tough to understand this...
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Just read Psychology: The power of posture | The Economist
Pretty cool article…
They make people assume bad posture or good posture and then test how they feel about themselves…Those with good posture feel better about themselves, feel more powerful, and feel more like leaders.
I suppose it’s another reason to have good posture…
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Saw this great table in an article in bloomberg - documenting how people in finance are overpaid…
Job Description Estimated Pay Source M&A banker with 10 $2 Million Jeanne Branthover, years experience Boyden Global Executive Search Bank oil trader $1 Million George Stein,...
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“Here’s a secret that mechanics don’t want you to know: You really don’t need to...”
– What car mechanics don’t want you to know - MarketWatch
So the bottom line is mechanics replace things early in order to make more money, and just be really skeptical when they tell you something needs to be replaced in the absence of data.
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“I gather that one of the effects of global warming has been to release a lot of...”
– Global warming heats oil and coal sectors Jon Markman’s Speculations - MarketWatch
Interesting, ironic that global warming can lead to undesirable cooling in some areas. Yet another economic argument and lifestyle argument and moral argument in favor of doing something about global warming.
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“That the more men as a group disagree about a woman’s looks, the more they end...”
– Online Dating: Does It Pay to Play Up Your Flaws? - Newsweek
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“Participants read a passage describing an ambiguous interaction between two...”
– Touch influences social judgements and decisions : Neurophilosophy
A few other cool experiments in this article.
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“Unlike soy which has super high amounts of phytic acid (that anti-nutrient that...”
– Hemp Seed Benefits
This is pretty unusual since a lot of nuts and seeds contain phytic acid…
They are also delicious and I’m eating them now :)
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haha, pretty funny the lengths people will go to in order to get airline miles.
One person tweeted they’d flown “BOS-SFO-SEA-NRT-BKK-TPE-SIN-KCH” (Boston-San Francisco-Seattle-Tokyo-Bangkok-Taipei-Singapore-Kuching, Malaysia) rather than “BOS-LAX-SIN-KCH” (Boston-Los Angeles-Singapore-Kuching). Another reported they’d traveled SFO-LAX-SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL (San...
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“PET scans showed increased dopamine release when subjects listened to...”
– Brain reacts to music like a drug - chicagotribune.com
Pretty cool demonstration that you actually get a sort of high simply from listening to music.
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“Failing to provide the correct response to the question “Why should I...”
– Poor Man’s Polygraph Part 5 | Psychology Today
Ha, I’m kind of skeptical of this…I wonder if people don’t give balanced answers, like you should believe me because of reasons 1,2,3….but yeah, you gotta put “I’m telling the truth” in there...
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“The grinding, milling, wetting, drying, and baking of a breakfast cereal...”
– The oil we eat: Following the food chain back to Iraq—By Richard Manning (Harper’s Magazine)
This is ridiculously shocking. Thanks for this, Dr. Lorin…
I very much detest how food subsidies in this country make unhealthy foods cheaper. I also feel that the price of energy should go up,...
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“Why Paper Cuts Hurt So Much …. Fingertips and hands have significantly...”
– Why Paper Cuts Hurt So Much
Um, I never thought paper cuts were particularly painful, but now I will fear them.
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WatchBaby Step #5 Respect your audience! | 1000 Baby Steps
Ha love this dance. This baby has better dancing skills than I do.
Thanks David (for producing this child, and sending this link.) More fine dancing and goodness on David’s Blog
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Muni Debt Concerns Are Real
Thanks to Dr. Lorin for sending in Muni Debt Concerns Are Real. The central thesis is that big banks have offered letters of credit to cities which that are unlikely to renew. When that lack of renewal comes about, more cities will have problems raising the money they need to function…leading to more municipal bankruptcies.
According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, $109 billion worth of...
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US College Kids Are Learning Next to Nothing
haha thanks to Dr. Lorin for submitting this article proclaiming “US College Kids Are Learning Next to Nothing”
It’s full of money statistics like this:
according to the study, U.S. college students spend 24% of their time sleeping and 51% of their time socializing. Oh, and they spend about 7% of their time studying.
Haha, yeah, college is often worthless, and I wish...
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Does high dietary fructose cause hypertension?
Does high dietary fructose cause hypertension?
Average fructose intake in the U.S. is staggering: Americans currently consume approx. 150 pounds of sugar a year, which is 20 times the amount their European ancestors would have ingested from fruit (Data from USDA). This intake is mainly due to added sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in particular, in sugary soft drinks and bakery products....
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Chocolate for treating hypertension??
As reported by McCullough et al. the Kuna Indians of Panama consume large quantities of cocoa, and, despite a high sodium intake, have a low prevalence of hypertension. However, Kuna Indians who migrate to Panama have a higher prevalence of hypertension than Islanders. Kuna Islanders consume 10 times more cocoa than those in Panama and have 80% less cardiovascular disease. This, and other...
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“[My asian children were never allowed to ]: attend a sleepover • have a playdate...”
– Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior - WSJ.com
She also says Chinese parents can be more direct, insulting them if they are too fat. She says they can demand perfect grades with the belief that they are capable of it if they work hard enough. They believe their kids owe them everything for rearing...
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“[My asian children were never allowed to ]: attend a sleepover • have a playdate...”
– Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior - WSJ.com
She also says Chinese parents can be more direct, insulting them if they are too fat. She says they can demand perfect grades with the belief that they are capable of it if they work hard enough. They believe their kids owe them everything for rearing...