Category Archives: Science

FINDINGS OF PLACEBO RESEARCH.

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Philip

FINDINGS OF PLACEBO RESEARCH. In this post I asked a number of questions about what studies on placebo effects had learned. (Annalisa had commented “I’m sure someone somewhere has done studies about good luck charms ‘working’ thanks to the placebo … Continue reading →

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HAPPINESS—THE LOSADA RATIO.

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Philip

HAPPINESS—THE LOSADA RATIO. I took a couple points from a review by Julian Baggini in the Financial Times (May 14-15) of Martin Seligman’s book FLOURISH. (The review credits Seligman for shifting the focus in psychology in the last 10 years … Continue reading →

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THE UNCANNY VALLEY.

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Philip

THE UNCANNY VALLEY. I came across this article on how computer animation that is too realistic can creep people out. This is supposed to have adversely affected a recent Disney movie, “Mars Needs Moms.” I finally mentioned it to Annalisa, … Continue reading →

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SCHEDULING YOUR EFFORTS TO PERSUADE.

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Philip

SCHEDULING YOUR EFFORTS TO PERSUADE. There is anecdotal evidence that is consistent with the statistical study of parole board decisions. A salesman once told me that traditionally a salesman would schedule his most important sales call of the day for … Continue reading →

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LEGAL DECISIONS AND THE TIME OF DAY.

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Philip

LEGAL DECISIONS AND THE TIME OF DAY. Jonah Lehrer has an article here describing a study of judicial decision-making which analyzed over 1100 parole board hearings conducted over a ten month period. The results showed that the time of day … Continue reading →

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COMPARING WORKS BY ARTISTS AND BY CHIMPANZEES.

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Philip

COMPARING WORKS BY ARTISTS AND BY CHIMPANZEES. This article in Psychology Today describes an experiment by Angelina Hawley-Dolan and Ellen Winner of Boston College which tested whether students would prefer paintings by well-known abstract painters to paintings by monkeys, children … Continue reading →

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PENGUINS AND FLIRTATION.

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Philip

PENGUINS AND FLIRTATION. We have been delighted by the video of Cookie, the penguin who enjoys being tickled, but I also valued this video about the lady who filmed the tickling. The original video shows Cookie at his zoo interrelating … Continue reading →

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TIMELINES FOR LANGUAGES.

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Philip

TIMELINES FOR LANGUAGES. Reports here (New York Times), here (Economist), and here (Wall Street Journal) summarize a recent study by Quentin Anderson on the history of languages. There is considerable skepticism among linguists about whether much of anything can be … Continue reading →

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GUILTY PLEASURES—PHRAGMITES.

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Philip

GUILTY PLEASURES—PHRAGMITES. A spring walk today. Daffodils, violets, magnolias beginning to blossom. A turtle, two egrets. Phragmites. I posted here about the pleasure we take in the fall in the phragmites in the marsh at Farm Creek—“tall reeds, faded to … Continue reading →

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COLORED BUBBLES—A BREAKTHROUGH.

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Philip

COLORED BUBBLES—A BREAKTHROUGH. An article by Ann Zimmerman in the Wall Street Journal (April 1) told how scientists at Crayola after years of work have come up with a product that lets kids blow bubbles in vivid colors. Crayola is … Continue reading →

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