Psychology

A recent experiment was able to demonstrate that the articulation of vowels systematically influences our feelings - and vice versa. The research project looked at the question of whether and to what extent the meaning of words is linked to their sound. The specific focus of the project was on two special cases; the sound of the long 'i' vowel (/i:/) and that of the long, closed 'o' vowel (/o:/). Psychologist Prof. Ralf Rummer and phoneticist Prof. Martine Grice were interested in finding out whether these vowels tend to occur in words that are positively or negatively charged in terms of…

Pathological thought can be helpful, especially the Asperger’s variety. Ludwig Wittgenstein became the arguably greatest philosopher, overseeing the postmodern. The mathematician Paul Erdös is another good example.   Jewish Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdös (Image credit: amphetamines.com/paul-erdos.html)      Those with Asperger’s syndrome are forced to deal more rationally with social issues; that is the way we function; that is the way those residing on the ‘high functioning’ autism spectrum “highly function”. “Asperger Love: Loveless or Unloved Lovers” detailed…

How common are taste metaphors? So common we don't even know they are metaphors. When a kind smile is described as "sweet," or a resentful comment is considered "bitter," we most likely don't even think of those words as metaphors. But while it may seem to our ears that "sweet" by any other name means the same thing, new research shows that taste-related words actually engage the emotional centers of the brain more than literal words with the same meaning. Researchers used brain imaging to try and show that the brain processes these everyday metaphors differently than literal language. In the…

Adults diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome are nine times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than people from the UK general population, according to a paper The Lancet Psychiatry which consisted of a survey of 374 individuals (256 men and 118 women) diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome as adults between 2004 and 2013 at the Cambridge Lifetime Asperger Syndrome Service (CLASS) clinic in Cambridge. Asperger Syndrome is an autism spectrum condition. In Asperger Syndrome, people show some of the social symptoms of autism but don't have delayed language or intellectual disability. In the UK, one in…

Marketing academics, the group who brought us the notion that hurricanes with female names are more dangerous because the patriarchy just assumes the little ladies are being hysterical and won't knock down houses, are back with the conjecture that your gambling style is genetic. It's not as crazy as the stuff years ago that claimed liberals and conservatives were born that way, or that your grandfather's diet changed your genes enough to make you fat, but it isn't good science either. Thus, look for it on the Dr. Oz show by next week. Investors and gamblers take note: your betting…

In time for Autistic Pride Day 18 June:     Why do people congratulate somebody? Asperger’s sufferers often do not understand this. I asked myself:   “I’ve won the lottery, so why additionally congratulate me? If congratulation is something positive, why give it to someone who has just been lucky already?”     Hence, we feel awkward and perhaps even annoyed and disturbed by being congratulated, because it is a social interaction that we feel uncomfortable with and that feels like an ‘unfair distribution of niceties’. Congratulations are especially stressful…

For some cigarette smokers, quitting is relatively easy. Some people never even really get addicted while for some, strategies to aid quitting like e-cigarettes or nicotine patches or even hypnosis work while for others nothing does.  Do they just not want to quit? Are they weak? Or do they need a better motivation. Psychologists using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) say they have identified an aspect of brain activity that helps to predict the effectiveness of a reward-based strategy as motivation to quit smoking. The researchers observed the brains of nicotine-deprived…

Which do you think gets more pageviews, sites with exaggerated titles like Upworthy or Buzzfeed, or an accurate title like this one? We know the answer. The reason is that smart sites interested in achieving an Internet critical mass don't think about content, they think about creating "irrational herding" behaviors.  Its a smart business strategy. On YouTube alone, there is 100 new hours of content every 1 minute of every day. Expecting that 'content is king' is naively simplistic. Gaming the mentality of Internet viewers leads to pageviews and that leads to advertising…

Combat is correlated in some to depression and substance abuse - post-traumatic stress disorder is part of the lexicon today, real and claimed by clerks who never heard a gunshot while in the military and then a general malaise for people who had any kind of stress. But soldiers who endure the highest stress - those who kill in the heat of combat - are least likely to self-medicate, according to analysis of data by researchers with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and American University. In "Changes in Alcohol Use after Traumatic Experiences: The Impact of Combat on Army National…

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a burdensome conditions, known for its dramatic highs of extreme euphoria, racing thoughts and decreased need for sleep, as well as its profound lows of sadness and despair. Because it is also associated with a heightened risk of suicide, substance abuse, hypersexuality, familial discord and aggressive behavior, bipolar disorder affects not just those suffering from it, but also those around them — especially their children. While previous research has shown that children of parents with bipolar disorder are at a greater risk of developing psychiatric disorders, the…