Nothing like a cool key lime pie on a hot summer day!
“Without a few unusual people, human behaviour would have remained a mystery – ordinary people whose extraordinary circumstances provided researchers with the exceptions that proved behavioural rules. Claudia Hammond revisits the classic case studies that have advanced psychological research.”
‘Orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are still evolving, and quickly.”
“Personal listening devices like iPods have become increasingly popular among young — and not-so-young — people in recent years. But music played through headphones too loud or too long might pose a significant risk to hearing, according to a 24-year study of adolescent girls.”
“Girls are hitting puberty earlier and earlier. One recent study found that more than 10 percent of American girls have some breast development by age 7. This news has upset many people, but it may make evolutionary sense in some cases for girls to develop faster, according to the authors of a new paper published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.”
”A new study from North Carolina State University shows that genetics play a key factor in whether someone is willing to take a survey.”
“Treatment of severe depression with magnetic stimulation is moving beyond large mental health centers and into private practices nationwide, following more than two decades of research on the treatment. Yet even as concern about its efficacy fades, one potential side effect—seizures—continues to shadow the technology.”
My daughter Kristin sent these lovely flowers on my birthday yesterday!
Here is what I am reading today:
“Breaking up really is hard to do, and a recent study conducted at Stony Brook University found evidence that it may be partly due to the areas of the brain that are active during this difficult time.”
“An international study led by University of Montreal scientists suggests family history may not be a good predictor of the presence of mutations predisposing to autism or schizophrenia.”
Some people lament the passage of time, especially when that results in a higher number of birthday candles. Having several people I care about who were “cut short” on time, including my late brother, I prefer to think of birthdays positively–they certainly beat the alternatives!
This year, I felt completely spoiled. In spite of my protestations, my family insists on going all out to celebrate on my behalf. Karla contributed one of her drawings to mark the occasion. She captured my ever-present coffee cup, too.
Karla's Rendition of a Freberg Birthday Party
To top it all off, my horoscope for the year says that this coming year, people might start to perceive me as “wise.” In spite of the obvious irony of being “wise” and reading horoscopes at the same time, I like that possibility.
Here I am holding something amazing... nothing quite as remarkable as the human brain
Here is what I am reading today:
“Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled — from 22% to 42% over the past year.”
“While some teenagers may puff on cigarettes to ‘self-medicate’ against the blues, scientists at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal have found that smoking may actually increase depressive symptoms in some adolescents. Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the findings are part of the long-term Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study based at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre.”
“In the new age of coalition governments, the question of whether two heads are better than one is more relevant than ever. In a study published in the journal Science, neuroscientists from UCL (University College London) and Aarhus University, Denmark, shows that two heads can be better than one — but only if you have the right partner.”
“ In the first study of its kind, researchers have found compelling evidence that our best and worst experiences in life are likely to involve not individual accomplishments, but interaction with other people and the fulfillment of an urge for social connection.”
“ A group of “professional couch potatoes,” as one researcher described them, has proven that even moderate exercise — in this case walking at one’s own pace for 40 minutes three times a week — can enhance the connectivity of important brain circuits, combat declines in brain function associated with aging and increase performance on cognitive tasks.”
We all look different 38 years ago!
Here is what I am reading today:
‘”Unselfish workers who are the first to offer to help with projects are among those that co-workers like the least, according to four separate social psychology studies.In the most recent study, entitled “The Desire to Expel Unselfish Members from the Group,” psychologists found that unselfish colleagues come to be resented because they “raise the bar” for what’s expected of everyone. As a result, workers feel the new standard will make everyone else look bad.’
“Instead, people tend to pick their spouse based on shared personality traits, the researchers report in the latest issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences.”
“Fear can make you run, it can make you fight, and it can glue you to the spot. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy and GlaxoSmithKline in Verona, Italy, have identified not only the part of the brain but the specific type of neurons that determine how mice react to a frightening stimulus.”
