34 years of college, including 2 Ph.D's and 6 Masters in this group
Here is my readings for today:
“After Rob Summers was paralyzed below the chest in a car accident in 2006, his doctors told him he would never stand again. They were wrong.
Despite intensive physical therapy for three years, Summers’ condition hadn’t improved. So in 2009, doctors implanted an electrical stimulator onto the lining of his spinal cord to try waking up his damaged nervous system. Within days, Summers, 25, stood without help. Months later, he wiggled his toes, moved his knees, ankles and hips, and was able to take a few steps on a treadmill.”
“When people have power, they act the part. Powerful people smile less, interrupt others, and speak in a louder voice. When people do not respect the basic rules of social behavior, they lead others to believe that they have power, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science.”
“One hypothesis on how psychopathy works is that it has to do with a fear deficit. A new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that children with a particular risk factor for psychopathy don’t register fear as quickly as healthy children.”
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet; the saying is perhaps a testament to the acute sense of smell that is unique to mammals. Paleontologists have now discovered that an improved sense of smell jumpstarted brain evolution in the ancestral cousins of present-day mammals. The research appeared in the 20 May 2011 issue of the journal Science.”
“While most people have a great deal of difficulty in dieting and losing weight, particularly if a diet extends over many months or years, individuals with anorexia nervosa can literally diet themselves to death. In fact, this disorder has a very high death rate from starvation. A new study sheds light on why these symptoms occur in anorexia nervosa.”
“All those salty snacks available at the local tavern might be doing more than increasing your thirst: They could also play a role in suppressing social anxiety.”
“The study – which may cause men to smile less on dates, and inspire online daters to update their profile photos – finds dramatic gender differences in how men and women rank the sexual attractiveness of non-verbal expressions of commonly displayed emotions, including happiness, pride, and shame.”
3 Comments
docejvh · May 24, 2011 at 11:53 am
The genetics and aggression portion of lecture today was interesting, especially when you mentioned the Spanish fighting bulls and the running of the bulls in Pamplona. When I took part in that event, I made it into the bull ring before they shut the gates. There were literally hundreds of people, all males, mostly under 30, running around the ring and taunting a juvenille bull. They would run up to it, smack it on the honches, and then when the bull would turn to attack, they would run away. Then another person would smack it to distract the bull from attacking the previous person. On and on this went for 10-15 munutes. I never smacked the bull but stood around to absorb the cultural experience. At one point the bull stared right at me and looked like it might charge, but someone smacked it and I was safe. We might have genetically determined aggression in us as well, but when that bull stared right at me, I knew his aggression would easlily beat mine.
mdean · May 26, 2011 at 9:59 am
Granted I don’t know very much about anorexia nervosa, but I found it very interesting that the parts of the brain associated with consequences were active when a person with the disorder eats. I always thought that a person was just worried about being thin so they did not eat, but I had no idea eating caused them so much anxiety. I am very thankful I do not suffer from that disease and I can still appreciate the deliciousness of food!
nreyes · May 26, 2011 at 4:12 pm
“Women like brooding men or bad boys?”
This article brings up one of the most interesting observations to society, how males and females interact and how their mind works. I find it understandable why women may be more attracted to “brooding, bad boys” type of men as well as why men are instantly more attracted to women who smile. I think this is so because women have a natural instinct that wants to care for someone-a male that looks ashamed of some sort is prime for a woman to try and comfort him. On a man’s perspective a woman that looks happier looks like they will not have any sort of emotional baggage (I do not mean to be offensive!) Or maybe its an opposites attract sort of ordeal. There are many theories and thoughts and looking into to how males and females interact. I found this article most intriguing!
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