Take 2 Laughs & Call Me In The Morning!

Hi Everyone!

Do you like to laugh? Like making people laugh? Well keep on laughing! An article in Scientific American Mind called "How Humor Makes You Friendlier, Sexier" by Steve Ayan, describes the benefits on well-being from laughter & humor. It also states that women find men who have a sense of humor sexier!

Got Road Rage?

Hi Everyone!


Have you ever experienced Road Rage? Have you be a victim of it? Well you are not alone! Scientific American Mind is reporting about 90% of us are. An article by Hal Arkowitz and Scott Lilienfeld called "How To Fight Road Rage" they state that younger drivers and males tend to be more prone to road rage. The article mentions a number of variables seem to be related to whether one will display aggression to other drivers and some types of therapy which have been found to be successful.

Mirror, Mirror in the Brain

In Intro our text discusses Mirror Neurons. Daniel Lametti has an article in the June Scientific American Mind called "Mirroring Behavior" which explains how this research began over an ice cream cone and explains how the findings may help us understand behaviors we observe in others and why others, like those who are Autistic may not have this ability.

It's The Cookies!

Hi Everyone!

In Intro we explore Animal Intelligence, from Chimpanzees doing arithmatic, crows and Chimpanzees using tools to Dolphins understanding Semantically Reversible Sentences. Scientific American has a short piece by Tina Adler called Fact or Fiction: Dogs Can Talk (vs communicate). The article also mentions the research with Rico, the border collie, who learned the names for 200 objects.

Decoding Emotions & BPD

Hi Everyone!

April's issue of Scientific American Mind discusses the "Roots of Problem Personalities." Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg reports the research which suggests those diagnosed with Borderline Personality have difficulty decoding emotions, in particular trust. This difficulty decoding emotions leads to their impulsivity and negative emotions. Research has also found a particular area in the brain which seems to play a role for this lack of decoding ability.

It's Just Space

Hi Everyone!

If you had a choice, which of the above environments would you prefer to work in? Did you pick the 2nd? Look at the the corners, the colors, the lighting, generally the warmth for each. Do you think this would make a difference in your mood and productivity?

Well, even Jonas Salk apparently felt the environment you work in can make an influence on how productive you are. Salk had architects design his institute in a way which would be more conducive to discoverying solutions.

In April's edition of Scientific American Mind, Emily Anthes article "How Room Designs Affect Your Work and Mood" explains research has found the design of a room can affect how we think, what we focus on, our patterns of sleep, student success, emotions such as relaxation, anxiety, aggression, depression and psychosis, and how we interact with others.

Think about the rooms you spend the most time in. Is there anything you can do to make it more beneficial to your mood and productivity?

Curing Homosexuality?

Hi Everyone!

The April issue of Scientific American has an article entitled "Can Psychiatrists Really "Cure" Homosexuality?" by Thomas Maier. The article suggests that Masters' & Johnson fabricated their Conversion Therapy Cases. Many of those who worked with Masters & Johnson do not recall any conversion cases being worked on.