Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Mind your language | David Marsh
The style guide editor on … knowing what day it isI sent my annual Easter message to Guardian subeditors last week, gently reminding them to call yesterday Easter Day, in line with...
Brain Distinguishes Memories of Specific Fears
The brain acts like a filing cabinet to distinguish between different fears.
Let's lighten up on the British summertime debate | the big issue
The benefits for most people of extra daylight in the evenings would greatly outweigh any disadvantages of changing from GMTYour leader ("It wouldn't take long to make us all happier – just...
The government's determination to control its drugs advisors meant I had no choice but to resign
The seven resignations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are symptomatic of scientific advisors' anger at being forced to toe an official lineTwo more resignations from the Advisory Council on...
Attitude toward everyday activity important for healthy lifestyle
Unintentional physical activity may be influenced by non-conscious attitudes, noted David Conroy, associate professor of kinesiology and human development and family studies. The challenge of encouraging more activity can be...
Video: Political Avatars
Political campaigns are often competitive and can get unpleasant at times but, as Jeff Greenfield reports, a new level of election aggressiveness has emerged on the Internet.
Study points out risks of nonromantic sexual relationships
A study has found that one-third of sexual relationships in the Chicago area lack exclusivity. One in 10 men and women reported that both they and their partner had slept...
Et cetera: Steven Poole's non-fiction choice | Book reviews
On international law, language and Pluto's demotionVictors' Justice, by Danilo Zolo, translated by MW Weir (Verso, £14.99)From the Nuremberg trials to the quasi-judicial killing of Saddam Hussein, the international law of war delivers...
This column will change your life: Is self-discipline the key to success? | Oliver Burkeman
Even a committed hedonistic life requires plenty of self-discipline: you need it actually to book the flight to Bali or to arrange the circumstances for wild sexual encountersSelf-discipline, as human virtues go, is...
Playing the Numbers: Music beats math anxiety, studies find
(PhysOrg.com) -- A mother walks her fussy baby around the house, singing and patting his back in time to the lullaby. She might not know it, but her rhythmic patting...
Study reveals that logging debris suppresses development of an invasive competitor, Scotch broom
PORTLAND, Ore. ?April 2, 2010. Countless studies and reports exist describing how a landscape is impacted after logging Douglas-fir: What is the impact on the soil? Should one leave the...
He Said, She Said (preview)
Why don’t men like to stop and ask directions? This question, which I first addressed in my 1990 book You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation , garnered...
7 Ways the Mind and Body Change With Age
Believe it or not, the elderly tend to become more happy, liberal and remain pretty darn sharp. Here are 7 ways we change as we get older.
Researchers Find Differences In How The Brains Of Some Individuals Process The World Around Them
(PhysOrg.com) -- People who are shy or introverted may actually process their world differently than others, leading to differences in how they respond to stimuli, according to Stony Brook researchers...
Michael Tomasky: Say hello to vocab quiz; and say goodbye
Sorry for the delay today. Home renovation emergency.To everything, turn, turn, turn. This will be the last vocabulary quiz. I'm running out of five-dollar words that I actually know. In truth, two on...
Mentor to Microsoft founders dead at 68
MACON, Ga., April 2 (UPI) -- Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, who designed the personal computer that inspired the founding of Microsoft, died in Georgia at age 68, friends and...
Japan teddybear robot comforts elderly, snores
Japanese researchers have developed a cuddly teddybear robot designed to comfort the elderly and delight children by reading facial expressions and actions and responding to them.
Many factors contribute to adolescents' decision-making autonomy
Decision-making within families is an important way for young people to gain independence and responsibility, and adolescence is a time of increasing autonomy. A longitudinal study concludes that teens have...
Early Autism Diagnosis: The Infant Sibling Study
A cutting-edge UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute research project, the Infant Sibling Study, is leading the way in seeking clues to the earliest behavioral manifestations of autism. This project studies the...
Simon Singh Wins - US Law To The Rescue!
Simon Singh Wins - US Law To The Rescue! The British Courts do not indulge themselves in bogus judgements - not even on April 1st. This article is genuine. A note on common...
Simon Singh libel ruling demonstrates fine line between fact and comment
Judgement sends a clear message about protecting debate from litigationThe court of appeal's ruling saw three of the country's most senior judges weigh in to the highly political debate over freedom of expression.In...
Digital Baseball: Baseball stats go to the next level
Baseball fans who revel in the statistics surrounding the game, such as batting averages or the clocked speeds of curve balls, have gotten a windfall of data in the past...
Spanking sparks aggression, does little to reduce behavior problems
(PhysOrg.com) -- Discipline -- whether it's spanking, yelling or giving time-outs -- may sometimes do little to reduce children's behavior problems, a new study indicates.
UMass Memorial health care develops fully integrated EMR
UMass Memorial Health Care is undertaking an electronic medical record integration project of incredible scope. Known as Cornerstone, the project is a multi-year, multi-entity corporate initiative to implement common...
Only drug dealers will benefit from this absurd ban on mephedrone | Simon Jenkins
Prohibition will drive supply underground, endanger users and make it harder to wean addicts off harder drugsAs its last measure the present parliament will approve its silliest. It will "ban" a recently discovered...
His and hers
Mars and Venus. Pink and blue. As the stereotypes would have it, men and women have little in common but the ability to procreate. But how grounded in scientific reality...
The Truth about Boys and Girls
Parents anticipate sex differences from the first prenatal ultrasound but then seem amazed when their son goes gaga over trucks or their daughter will wear nothing but pink. Boys and...
Couples Prioritize Husbands' Careers Over Wives'
Couples often prioritize the careers of husbands over those of wives, suggesting gender inequality still exists, researchers find.