readings in psychology for 21st december 2011

"Alpha" (Named by Karla) is the newest member of our little Menagerie

Here is what I am reading today:

• are they lying through their texts?

“People are more likely to lie through texts than other forms of communication, such as video chats and face-to-face interactions, a new study suggests. A new study from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia found that people feel more comfortable hiding the truth through texts and those that are lied to this way get the most upset.”

• starlings and irrational preferences?

“Research into decision-making by European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) may help to explain why many animals, including humans, sometimes exhibit irrational preferences.”

• why are the anxious oblivious?

“Anxious people have long been classified as “hypersensitive” — they’re thought to be more fearful and feel threatened more easily than their counterparts. But new research from Tel Aviv University shows that the anxious may not be hypersensitive at all — in fact, they may not be sensitive enough.”

• BUTTER is $500 in Norway!

“(NaturalNews) An inexplicable butter shortage in Norway that authorities and the media are blaming on the growing popularity of low-carb, high-fat diets has left the wealthy Scandinavian country scrambling to find other sources of the precious cooking ingredient. After all, the Christmas season is upon us, which means that millions of Norwegians need this natural cooking fat to produce a multitude of butter-rich baked goods that have long been a staple of the Norwegian Christmas tradition.”