Five Ways to Lie with Charts
Everyone should read this so they don’t get bamboozled by charts.
Five Ways to Lie with Charts
Why Poverty Is Like a Disease
Inequality hurts us all — and this article explains why. Make sure you read it to the end.
“….escape from poverty is a matter of chance, and not a matter of merit.”
” The reality is that when you’re poor, if you make one mistake, you’re done. Everything becomes a sudden-death gamble.”
Why Poverty Is Like a Disease
Emerging science is putting the lie to American meritocracy
Christian H. Cooper | Nautilus | April, 2017
Your stressed mind gets better at processing bad news…
How your mind, under stress, gets better at processing bad news
Your vote is manipulated without your knowledge
It’s not just the fake news; politicians can take advantage of your instincts to influence your vote without your knowledge. The advice:
“If you’re scared to be manipulated, learn. The more you learn, the more firm and stable your attitudes are, and the more difficult it is for someone to convince you otherwise.”
The “neuropolitics” consultants who hack voters’ brains
These experts say they can divine political preferences you can’t express from signals you don’t know you’re producing.
by Elizabeth Svoboda | August 16, 2018 | MIT Technology Review
How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News
Great article, includes some tips in how to spot fake news.
How Your Brain Tricks You Into Believing Fake News
KATY STEINMETZ | August 9, 2018 | Time Magazine
Origin of Superstition
A scientific exploration of superstitious beliefs. From Skeptic Magazine:
The Origin of Superstition, Magical Thinking, and Paranormal Beliefs
(an integrative model)
Marjaana Lindeman & Kia Aarnio | Skeptic Magazine, Volume 13 Number 1 | Sept 2010
Selfish reason to donate blood
Compelling evidence that iron may affect your health, depending on your genes. Simplest way to remedy is to donate blood.
Iron Is the New Cholesterol
Elevated iron is at the center of a web of disease stretching from cancer to diabetes.
Tribalism is preventing us from making informed decisions
Article from The Economist describes recent experiments that shed light on how humans stick to beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary.
The partisan brain: What psychology experiments tell you about why people deny facts
The Economist | Dec 8th 2018
Many of us will pay money to avoid points of view that differ from our own
The surprising reason people change their minds
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The surprising reason people change their minds
We usually believe that our opinions are stubborn and fixed. But new research shows that our views, even on politics, are changing all the time – just not for the reasons you’d expect.
Claudia Hammond | BBC Future | 22 June 2018
How to change emotions with a word
Great article from The Economist on how to reduce (or increase) tension with grammar.
How to change emotions with a word
Science looks at the subtleties of semiotics
The Economist | May 3, 2018
Pragma Synesi - interesting bits 