Here’s a bit of fun for you: people think better when they’re lying down. Or, more accurately, they’re quicker at solving anagrams in this study from the Australian National University. Why? Perhaps neurotransmitter levels are increased or perhaps blood flow to the brain is improved. Both these biological explanations are plausible but I have a psychological explanation.
When I was at University there was a guy who used to swear by a special revision method he had developed over the years. He stood on a chair and held the notes above his head: It worked for him. My explanation was that because he was putting his body into a different position, he was able to look at his revision in a new way.
Perhaps something similar is happening in this experiment – a new physical perspective grants a new mental perspective.
A press briefing was held in London yesterday in which a few psychologists speculated on the electorate’s mood. Due to the predictable content, the story only just limped into the news. Perhaps they should have tried for something a little more radical than: The war on Iraq was a bit of a problem for Labour but they’ll win anyway.
One species, two genders. Yes, biologically we are fundamentally different, but what about psychologically? Is the difference between men and women all a ‘social construction’? What if you give dolls to a male child? What if you treat him like a girl? What if you dress him like a girl? And what if you surgically reconstruct his genitalia so that, anatomically, he looks like a girl?
An excellent technique for learning a new skill is to find someone who is already successful at what you want to learn, and copy their technique. This is at the root of Rodcorp’s blog, “How we work.” Try it out with today’s post on how Franz Liszt used to read a book while practising the piano.
With the General Election only a few short weeks away, there’s election fever here in the UK. Well, even if the populace hasn’t quite reached fever pitch, there’s certainly a fever amongst the politicians. And part of the reason was discovered a few years ago in a psychological study of how the electorate judge the canditates. Unlike the five dimensions of personality which are normally used, people judge politicians on only two dimensions: How trustworthy are they? How energetic are they?
In discussing the upcoming election here in the UK, Raj Persaud on All In the Mind asks whether politicians ever answer a question. Apparently when asked by a professional interviewer, the average number of responses that directly address 