Pragma Synesi – interesting bits

Compendium of interesting bits I come across, with an occasional IMHO

Top 10 Common Faults In Human Thought

A list everyone should be aware of.

Top 10 Common Faults In Human Thought

Published January 7, 2010 by Nikki

Read more »

January 21, 2010 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour, brain | , , , , , , , , , | No Comments Yet

Kissing Ass works!

Good to know, whether you’re the kisser or the kissee, even if you know you are deliberately being buttered up.  Also applies to ads — just watching them will affect your attitudes and decisions.  And the more down-on-yourself you are, the better it works.

From Scientific American Mind Matters, January 12, 2010:

Flattery Will Get You Far

Even obviously manipulative compliments are remarkably effective

Read more »

January 20, 2010 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour, decision making, psychology | , , , , | No Comments Yet

Driveway sealant toxic

Not only does the black coal tar sealant used for driveways produce carcinogenic dust, but there is no proof that it increases the longevity of the asphalt underneath.  Vacuuming habits seem to make no difference in the concentration of toxic dust inside the house.  Already banned in some US cities.

From nature.com news, 11 January 2010:

Driveways could spread toxins into the home

Carcinogens in coal tar–sealed pavements cause worry.

Read more »

January 12, 2010 Posted by pragmasynesi | environment, health | , , , | 1 Comment

How Birth Order Affects Your Personality

For one, the more older siblings one has, the lower one’s IQ.  Also, firstborns are more likely to associate with firstborns, middle-borns with middle-borns, last-borns with last-borns, and only children with only children.

Article from the January 2010 Scientific American Mind (also see The secrets of birth order):

How Birth Order Affects Your Personality

For decades the evidence has been inconclusive, but new studies show that family position may truly affect intelligence and personality

Read more »

January 11, 2010 Posted by pragmasynesi | anthropology, behaviour | , | No Comments Yet

The Neuroscience of Screwing Up

Failure can be good for you, if you let it.  This article explains the why and the how.  An illuminating quote:

“…we carefully edit our reality, searching for evidence that confirms what we already believe. Although we pretend we’re empiricists — our views dictated by nothing but the facts — we’re actually blinkered, especially when it comes to information that contradicts our theories.”

Check out the “How to learn from failure” part at the end of the article. From Wired, Jan 2010:

Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up

January 6, 2010 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour, neuroscience | , | No Comments Yet

Do your balls hang low?

Do they wobble to and fro?  Hilarious follow-up to the Secrets of the Phallus, explaining all that’s hangin’…

From Scientific American, November 19, 2009:

Why do human testicles hang like that?

Read more »

November 25, 2009 Posted by pragmasynesi | anthropology, evolution, fun | , , | No Comments Yet

Pros of being sad

Happy moods promote creativity and flexibility — but also gullability.  Sad moods make you more critical, improve your ability to judge and remember.

From Smart Planet, Nov 5, 2009:

A bad mood can help you think more clearly

By Andrew Nusca

Apparently, misery loves productivity.

Bad moods can be good for you, according to a new study.

Read more »

November 18, 2009 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour | , , , , | No Comments Yet

Pinker on Gladwell

An eye-opening review of Malcolm Gladwell’s book “What the dog saw” by Steven Pinker –  I will be much more careful of accepting Gladwell’s conclusions from here on.  From the New York Times:

Malcolm Gladwell, Eclectic Detective

Read more »

November 17, 2009 Posted by pragmasynesi | sociology | , , , , | No Comments Yet

Placebo effect is real

Spinal-cord neural activity found when individuals were convinced that their pain would be alleviated by a cream treatment, irrespective of whether the cream was real or a placebo.  From Smartplanet.com:

Placebo effect not all in your head

By Dana Blankenhorn | Oct 16, 2009

October 22, 2009 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour, brain, psychology | , | No Comments Yet

Get it wrong, learn faster

It seems that failing is good — you remember better if you get it wrong on the first place.  Great tip for studying.

From Scientific American, October 20, 2009:

Getting It Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn

New research makes the case for hard tests, and suggests an unusual technique that anyone can use to learn

Read more »

October 21, 2009 Posted by pragmasynesi | behaviour, learning | , , , , | No Comments Yet