Scientists have identified the part of the brain responsible for controlling whether we conform to expectations and group pressure.
The researchers found they were able to control whether volunteers conformed to social pressure by using powerful electromagnetic pulses that changed the activity of a small part of the brain.
Stress is an unpleasant fact of life. We all experience it for various reasons, and we all try to come up with ways of coping with it—some with more success than others. So what exactly is stress doing to your mind (and body) when you’re staring down a deadline? And what can you do to power through it?
Continue reading… “What stress actually does to you and what you can do about it”
According to Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize and the Annals of Improbable Research, some Korean businessmen own special suits that emit a pleasant aroma when rubbed. These suits allow the owners to remain fresh after very long days at work and play. Here’s Abrahams demonstrating the effectiveness of his peppermint-scented suit to a test subject.
Continue reading… “Scratch & Sniff business suit”
About 35 percent of time is spent doing unpaid but nonetheless important work, like child-care and housework.
At a time of record-level long-term unemployment the question everyone asks, even the jobless themselves, is what do the unemployed do all day?
Continue reading… “For the unemployed, more sleep and tv but also more unpaid work”
Hi there. Wanna chat? I’m hip, scruffy and funny.
Over the years, there’s been a radical change in the way we interact with our networks of friends online. It used to be that we had a few of our friends (online or offline friends) on a service, allowing us to connect to friends through the Internet and see what their activities were. Where the Internet used to be a somewhat scary world full of strangers, we suddenly had friendly anchors to explore that world with. Sure, most of our friends weren’t online, or at least not using the same services, but the familiarity was comforting and the ability to see what a few of our friends were doing allowed us to find new content and new friends.
We fell in love with sites that made us feel like there are people out there who are similar to us, who we are talking to and having common experiences with. But then, some of these networks — Facebook and Twitter in particular — began to grow explosively…
Continue reading… “The Social Network paradox”
Scan that code for a shortcut to information.
If you raise the subject of QR codes among tech early adopters, you are likely to elicit a passionate response. Some people think QR codes, those scanable black and white squares on everything from billboards to product packaging, are on an unstoppable growth trajectory, while skeptics are quick to dismiss them as a fad.
This reaction is common whenever new technology formats or standards are being decided upon. Pundits want to exhibit their knack for predicting the future and stakeholders (of which I am undeniably one) want to make sure their format wins out. The general public, meanwhile, tends to lay in wait for a particular format to show dominance…
Continue reading… “Why QR Codes are here to stay”
Overall, men still want sex rather than fatherhood.
“Baby fever” — that sudden, visceral, and almost irresistible urge to have a baby — not only exists, it can be found in both men and women, according to a new study in the psychological journal Emotion.
Continue reading… “‘Baby fever’ is real and men suffer from it too: study”
Most people would choose longer hours and higher pay even if it won’t make them happy.
Money might not be able to buy you love, but it seems most people would be willing to choose it over happiness if the results of a new survey are to be believed.
Continue reading… “People choose higher paying jobs over happiness”
Manhattan at sunset.
The explosive growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades poses significant risks to people and the global environment, according to a meta-analysis published August 19 in PLoS ONE.
Researchers from Yale, Arizona State, Texas A&M and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles — nearly the size of Mongolia — to accommodate the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas…
Continue reading… “Growth of cities endangers global environment”
Male maturity age has shifted again.
Boys are maturing physically earlier than ever before. The age of sexual maturity has been decreasing by about 2.5 months each decade at least since the middle of the 18th century. Joshua Goldstein, director of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock (MPIDR), has used mortality data to demonstrate this trend, which until now was difficult to decipher. What had already been established for girls now seems to also be true for boys: the time period during which young people are sexually mature but socially not yet considered adults is expanding…
Continue reading… “Boys reach sexual maturity younger and younger”
How cool is your partner?
Having a stressed-out partner may affect your life expectancy, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Glasgow found that birds who were paired off with anxious partners were at a high risk of dying young.
Continue reading… “Having a stressed-out partner may affect your life expectancy”
Artist Jason Edmiston brings home the perspective change.
There’s nothing quite like a weekend away from the family to spend with your buddies at the cabin. We might as well get a picture so we can remember these good times when we get too old go out regularly…
Continue reading… “Weekend hunting trip”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.