The New Yorker recently published an article by Oliver Sacks, the famous neurologist and author, with an update on an equally famous patient: Clive Wearing, a British musician who suffered an attack of viral encephalitis in 1985. Although Wearing recovered, the infection destroyed the areas of his brain associated with…
I wish I could have taken credit for writing an article I just read: The presidential primary scam: Why the game is rigged, and why true democracy is only a secondary factor in the nation's rush to nominate the next president. The author is Michael Scherer. Here a taste of…
What's the preferred treatment for Major Depressive Disorder? According to this study by a large team of researchers, anti-depressant medication and exercise led to comparable results. The exercise consisted of 10 minutes of warming up, then 30 minutes of jogging or brisk walking, enough to get to 70% of maximum heart…
New research reveals even if only one or two members of a group repeats an opinion, it is likely to be seen by others as representative of the whole group. Why does this occur? It boils down to availability and memory. Compare this to the famous social psychology experiments run by Soloman Asch…
People who are asked to rate the importance of various traits for romantic relationships, a good sense of humor is consistently at or near the top of their lists. Geoffrey Miller has concluded additonal work on the importance of a sense of humor to attract mates, resulting in a paper…