Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is probably the best idea that anybody has ever had.
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is probably the best idea that anybody has ever had. Darwin’s idea is not just applicable to biology, though, it also applies to culture.
The application of natural selection to culture has been called ‘memetics’. This is the theory that, like living things, ideas – or ‘memes’ – naturally vary and that (generally) the ‘fittest’ ideas survive and are replicated across generations.
Continue reading “Susan Blackmore on Memes and Temes (Video)”
Women’s underwear is likely to get men thinking about sex, but might it also change apparently unrelated behaviours?
Women’s underwear is likely to get men thinking about sex, but might it also change apparently unrelated behaviours?
New research conducted by Bram Van den Bergh and colleagues finds that sexual stimuli actually make some men impatient to receive a reward that has little to do with sex.
Continue reading “Touching Lingerie Makes (Some) Men Impatient for Monetary Rewards”
People have a natural tendency to over-generalise beliefs about their emotions to situations where they don’t apply.
When trying to predict what will make us happy in the future, we naturally rely on beliefs we have acquired with experience. Unfortunately these beliefs about the way our emotions operate are frequently misleading.
Experiments have shown that people have a natural tendency to over-generalise beliefs about their emotions to situations where they don’t apply. Psychologists call these belief biases.
Here are four belief biases that people often display when trying to predict how an event will make them feel in the future:
Surely Mondays are the most depressing day of the week? New research, though, suggests Mondays aren’t as bad as we think.
Mondays should be depressing. The memory of a fun weekend still fresh in the mind, returning to all the problems left behind on Friday and the endless expanse of time until next weekend. Surely Mondays are the most depressing day of the week?
Continue reading “Mondays Are Not As Depressing As You Think”
Human behaviour towards money can’t solely be explained by its utility, it has a more addictive quality – like a drug.
Human behaviour towards money can’t solely be explained by its utility, it has a more addictive quality – like a drug.
It’s no surprise that people want money – we’ve all got bills to pay. It’s also no surprise that money is useful – it would be irritating to pay the electricity bill in corn, goats or some other non-monetary quid pro quo. Originally economists argued that the fact that money is so useful explains why we’re interested in it. But when you think about it, the fact that money is so useful doesn’t fully explain people’s behaviour.
Continue reading “Why Money is Part of Human Nature: Money as Both Tool and Drug”
Virtual reality study finds that 40% of the general population experienced paranoid thoughts during a tube ride.
A new virtual reality study finds that 40% of the general population experienced paranoid thoughts during a tube ride. Dr Daniel Freeman at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and colleagues explain that while paranoid thoughts are popularly associated with mental illness, they are actually a normal part of everyday life for many of us.
Continue reading “40% Experienced Paranoid Thoughts on Virtual Journey”
The trick is to avoid comparing two jobs, or houses, directly.
Discover the most accessible and well-written psychology blogs available on the web.
Discover the most accessible and well-written psychology blogs available on the web.
The Advances in the History of Psychology blog has been going strong for a while now and contains some real gems. Amongst these are a description of the famous Stanley Milgram obedience experiments by someone who resisted and videos of B. F. Skinner demonstrating operant conditioning.
We can have considerable difficulty predicting our future requirements because our current emotional states override them.
Think our attitudes predict our behaviours? Think we only use 10% of our brains? Think blind people’s other senses are more acute? Think again.
Think our attitudes predict our behaviours? Think we only use 10% of our brains? Think blind people’s other senses are more acute? Think again.
Continue reading “10 Mind-Myths: Do Any of These Catch You Out?”
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