Psychology

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Women Earn 2 Percent Less Than Men - And The Reason Why May Be The Myth Of Lack Of Female Confidence

Psychology News Account |
Everyone says they have impostor syndrome about something, so perhaps many people just mask it and appear confident. Do men mask it better than women?  There is an argument that women seem to be less competitive than men, and are therefore passed over for higher-ranking roles with larger salaries. Since environmental groups, dominated by women, have a larger gender wage gap than the average, while engineering, dominated by men, has the most parity, the argument does not really hold up that women are less competitive. Writing in PNAS, Mary L. Rigdon, associate director of the…
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4 Reasons To Let This Halloween Be A Treat For Kids

Psychology Hank |
Children have a higher tolerance for thrills than most parents believe.  In 1989, when Disney returned to form with "The Little Mermaid", Ursula was among the scariest villains ever. She got impaled by the mast of a ship. That didn't bother kids a bit. It's more often parents that are overthinking this stuff. I am not saying you should hand your 6-year-old a "Saw" DVD but for the second consecutive year of the pandemic let's stop the usual apocalyptic worry about sugary treats plus the concern about COVID-19. They'll be okay on both counts.  Here are 4 reasons why we as a society…
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We Were Wrong About Daniel Craig As James Bond, Maybe We Were Wrong About His Stress Relief Also

Psychology Hank |
When Daniel Craig was announced as the new James Bond, he took a lot of criticism. I will be honest, I was among the critics. I have read every book, seen all the films, I wear both Charvet and Turnbull  &  Asser shirts for no other reason than they were in the books (the French brand for villains, naturally, and then Turnbull for the man himself) and I was firmly on Team Clive Owen for the role. Craig was clearly a Sean Connery and not a Roger Moore, who was most like the Eton-schooled Bond in the books. He was too short but author Ian Fleming was creating an idealized version…
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If You Talk About 'Social Darwinism' A Lot You May Have Dysfunctional Psychological Characteristics

Psychology News Account |
It's common when the subject of stupid behavior comes up, like belief in supplements or acupuncture over medicine, for someone to post a picture of Darwin or recommend them for a Darwin award. It's scientifically wrong - Aedes aegypti is an ecologically useless mosquito that is only a disease vector for yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika, etc. yet still exists - but it may also be a sign of dysfunctional psychological characteristics, such as exploitative attitudes towards others, hostility, and low self-esteem. At least according to survey results in PLOS ONE. Those who subscribe to…
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Weekend Science: Heavy Blankets, Heavy Forks - Why Is Bulky Stuff Now All The Rage?

Psychology Hank |
I have a pocket watch from the late 1800s. Why or how anyone carried this thing comfortably is a mystery. It is bulky and heavy. I can't have been alone because within just a few decades there was a wave of optimization that can best be compared to cell phones; even low-cost watches became small, light, and they kept great time. A pocket watch from the 1930s or '40s can often be found on my person, never the big heavy thing. I don't like dainty coffee cups or a salad fork and I like a heavy blanket. Though recent trends had been toward smaller and lighter, I am not alone in preferring heft.…
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People Who Who Say They Trust Science More Are Also More Likely To Promote False Science-y Sounding Claims

Psychology Hank |
A short while ago a prominent physicist made the offhand claim that bees were dying because of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids - seed treatments that protect plants from pests at their most vulnerable stage and result in far less chemical use than mass spraying. It's not true, and bees are not dying off anywhere, but that claim was still made by environmental fundraising brochures and lawyers hoping to sue so it's no surprise Mother Jones readers believe it. But a scientist?  That should be odd. Yet it isn't. I didn't argue with him, life is too short to be the science nanny…
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Women And Millennials More Likely To Believe A Cell Phone Can Cause Cancer

Psychology Hank |
Are you worried about getting cancer from a light bulb? Probably not, but if someone conspiratorially intones that 5G wireless towers are emitting radiation and you are a woman or a milllennial, you are a lot more likely to worry than men or Generation Z to be concerned, according to a new survey. Even though the radiation is the same. Obviously cell phones can't cause cancer, or brain cancers would have shot up dramatically when cell phones were gigantic and had needed far more power. Yet an attorney like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. still gets traction claiming they do because the demographic…
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Positive Spiritual Beliefs May Improve Breast Cancer Survivor Health

Psychology News Account |
It is no surprise that cancer survivors often express gratitude for being alive and mention God or a divine acknowledgement that had improved their health and well-being. Is there evidence spirituality helps? It may be that healthier levels of cortisol, a biomarker commonly associated with stress, among breast cancer survivors is key.  One in eight women develop breast cancer at some point in their lives, and previous studies show chronic stress in breast cancer survivors is linked with increased inflammation and risk for cancer recurrence. University of Missouri Sinclair School of…
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Did Science Just Create The Perfect Lullaby?

Psychology Hank |
Getting kids to go to sleep has long been a challenge for some, and there are beliefs that it got more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Spotify got science and music together (the parts that aren't already together, music is applied math) to create what they are calling the perfect lullaby. Maybe it will help. Swedish rappers Jaqueline “Mapei” Cummings and Jason “Timbuktu” are both parents of young children. After Jaqueline gave birth they went to the studio armed with the science of what sounds to use to create the most soothing lullaby according to sleep expert Helena Kubicek…
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People Often Choose Partners Similar In Social Status - That May Also Be True For Schizophrenia

Psychology News Account |
A new analysis finds that nearly 50 percent of people who have children with a partner who suffers from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder themselves meet the criteria for a mental disorder. The results stem from The Danish High-Risk and Resilience Study, a nationwide, representative group consisting of 522 children born to parents with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or parents from the control group and and 872 parents participated. The parental couples were selected such that one of the parents was registered in the National Patient Register with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or…
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