Did You Know

Archives for weekly "Did You Know..."

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|2=May 15th, 2011<br>
... is there an advantage to depression? In a [http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/73973/title/Thinking_better_with_depression recent article] in [http://www.sciencenews.org/ ScienceNews] about a research study in the upcoming Journal of Abnormal Psychology, researchers showed that "Depression may prompt an analytical thinking style suited to solving sequential problems, such as deciding when to stop a house hunt and purchase a property or when to stop playing the field and marry a suitor". 
|3=May 8th, 2011<br>
... the [http://www.apa.org/index.aspx APA] Committee on [http://www.apa.org/careers/early-career/committee/index.aspx Early Career Psychologists](CECP) has re-launched the listserv for early career leaders. The ECPLN is an online network of support and information sharing for early career leaders and aspiring leaders in APA governance, divisions and State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs).
|4=May 1st, 2011<br>
... "psychology researchers Azim F. Shariff at the University of Oregon and Ara Norenzayan at the University of British Columbia found that undergraduate college students who believe in a caring, forgiving God are more likely to cheat.", according to a [http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/223096.php recent article] that describes two experiments testing how religious beliefs affect decisions to cheat.  
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|1=April 24th, 2011<br>
... there is a One Click Personality Test at [http://youarewhatyoulike.com/ youarewhatyoulike.com/] developed by David Stillwell of Nottingham University and Michal Kosinski of Cambridge University. The predictions are based on the data compiled from Facebook.
|2=April 17th, 2011<br>
... the [http://www.yale.edu/yrurp/ Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology], a student publication of Yale College, is now accepting submissions from undergraduates for the 2011 edition of our journal. The Yale Review of Undergraduate Research in Psychology is an annual journal that showcases the best and most original research in psychology conducted by  undergraduates from around the world.
|3=April 10th, 2011<br>
... elevators make us charitable! In a recent JESP article reported in [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-escalators-brings-out-best-in-people Scientific American], the authors tested the notion that metaphors influence our thinking, namely that "height is often used as a metaphor for virtue: moral high ground, God on high, looking up to good people, etc." "In a series of four different studies, the authors found consistent support for their predictions. In the first study they found that twice as many mall shoppers who had just ridden an up escalator contributed to the Salvation Army than shoppers who had just ridden the down escalator. "
|4=April 3rd, 2011<br>
... "When choosing a partner, women believe the lower the man's voice, the more likely he's going to cheat. Conversely, men think a woman with a higher voice is more likely to be unfaithful, researchers have found." according to a [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110304115358.htm research study reported in ScienceDaily]. "The reason voice pitch influences perceptions of cheating is likely due to the relationship between pitch, hormones and infidelity," according to the article. 
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|1=March 27th, 2011<br>
... a new site, [http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/ Science of Relationships], was recently created that seeks to promote the scientific study of relationships to the public by making research findings accessible to non-academics. The site features answers to questions that readers have submitted about relationships, summaries of journal articles, applications of relationship research to popular culture examples, and links to relationship research stories in the media. 
|2=March 20th, 2011<br>
... the [http://www.spssi.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/PSI%20Flyer%20Final.pdf 9th Annual Psychology Summer Institute]. will be held July 17–23, 2011 in Washington DC. Participants receive mentoring and training to help them transform concepts into grant proposals, postdoctoral fellowship ideas, publications, innovative treatment models, or program evaluations. All projects must focus on issues affecting ethnic minority communities. 
|3=March 13th, 2011<br>
... visualize eating healthy and you may increase your chances of actually doing it! According to a new [http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/articles/2011/03/05/to-eat-more-fruit-picture-a-fruit-salad research study] participants asked to visualize healthy eating habits and writing a concrete plan to achieve their goals were significantly more likely to act on those intentions and eat healthy.
|4=March 6th, 2011<br>
... we may be more moral than we believe. In a [http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/650224.html study published in Psychological Science], researchers asked participants to indicate how likely they would be to cheat on exam if they knew they would not be caught, and in another condition the researchers measured the degree of actual cheating on the exam. Participants cheated less than expected, and also showed less physiological response from the conflict over whether or not to cheat. 
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|1=February 27th, 2011<br>
... Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues [http://www.spssi.org (SPSSI)] creates and hosts videos/podcasts of [http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=1440 interviews, events and documentaries] featuring SPSSI members describing how their research provides insight into the causes and possible solutions of today's pressing social issues, with the most recent entitled "The Road to Psychology-Community Partnerships: Collaborating on Social Issues for Social Change". 
|2=February 20th, 2011<br>
... [http://beta.in-mind.org/ In-Mind Magazine], an international magazine focused on communicated Social Psychology to public, is looking for new editors. The position entails peer-reviewing papers, corresponding with authors, and general website duties. The goal of the quarterly magazine is to demystify social psychological research and to invite people to engage in our findings in an accessible manner.
|3=February 13th, 2011<br>
... psychologists are testing and proving ESP! In an upcoming issue of JPSP (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology), Daryl Bem, an emeritus professor at Cornell, [http://dbem.ws/FeelingFuture.pdf reports 9 experiments involving more than 1,000 participants] that finds [http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/12/wait-esp-is-real/ evidence of ESP]. Dr. Bem even went on the [http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/372474/january-27-2011/time-traveling-porn---daryl-bem Colbert Report] to defend his findings. 
|4=February 6th, 2011<br>
... there is a [http://www.gettysburg.edu/camppsych/ camp] for high school students held June 26th-July 1st by Gettysburg College called [http://www.gettysburg.edu/camppsych/ Camp Psych] that offers a window into how psychological science works by receiving hands-on experiences that introduces them to research in psychology in a fun, challenging, and engaging environment. 
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|1=January 30th, 2011<br>
... the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships [http://spr.sagepub.com/site/podcast/podcast_dir.xhtml creates "podcasts"] in which they select two significant papers recently published in JSPR and interview the authors in which they explain things with as little jargon as possible and focus on real-world applications. 
|2=January 23rd, 2011<br>
... APA will sponsor four [http://www.apa.org/science/resources/ati/ Advanced Training Institutes] (ATIs) in the summer of 2011 hosted at major research institutions across the country, including Nonlinear Methods for Psychological Science and Exploratory Data Mining in Behavioral Research. 
|3=January 16th, 2011<br>
... you can have free access a new public dataset containing daily responses as well as pre- and post-test personality information of over 3000 participants. The [http://www.psychology.hu-berlin.de/profship/perdev/download/diarystudy Berlin Diary Study] (BDS) has collected data on personality, self esteem, positive and negative affect, contact and conflicts with family, and other variables. A handbook describing the data is [http://www.psychology.hu-berlin.de/profship/perdev/download/diarystudy available].
|4=January 9th, 2011<br>
... psychology can help with achieving your New Year's resolutions. In a [http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-resolutions-20110103,0,433334.story recent article in the LA Times], psychologists offer advice and "[http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-resolutions-20110103,0,433334.story tips] on how to increase your chances of actually keeping that promise to yourself."
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|1=January 2nd, 2011<br>
... [http://www.spssi.org/ SPSSI] set up the [http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=732 Sages Program] to encourage our retired members to apply their knowledge to helping solve social problems or to assist policy makers to solve social problems. Proposals are invited that use social science research findings to address social problems, and are due by February 15th. 
|2=December 26th, 2010<br>
... NIH has launched the [http://oppnet.nih.gov/ Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network] (OppNet) after many years of APS advocacy. OppNet will fund at least $120 million of basic behavioral science through 2014. The details of the initiative can be found in a [http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2574 APS Observer article].
|3=December 19th, 2010<br>
... the [http://www.sphnetwork.org/ Social Personality and Health Network] (SPH Network) was recently formed to promote interaction among investigators interested in issues at the interface between social and personality psychology and health. The SPH Network gathers for scientific meetings and promotes the development of relationships and collaborations among its members through an active listserv and website. 
|4=December 12th, 2010<br>
... "tilting your head can make you hotter", according to research reported on [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/03/tech/main7114352.shtml CBS News.com] in which evolutionary psychologists studies "whether the angle people viewed each other from was a factor in determining masculinity, femininity and attractiveness."
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|1=December 5th, 2010<br>
... APA has a wiki for practicing psychologists called [http://psyclink.apa.org/display/ITS/PsycLINK+-+The+Practice+Wiki PsycLINK - The Practice Wiki] which is a place to share resources, professional experiences, useful links and any other information you think colleagues would find helpful in their work.
|2=November 28th, 2010<br>
... you can ski and network at the same time. The [http://www.psych.utah.edu/researchareas/social/winter.php Social Psychology Winter Conference] is scheduled for January 6th to the 8th, 2011 at Park City, Utah. The conference provides a casual and relaxed setting for the exchange of ideas among researchers on a broad range of social psychological topics.  
|3=November 21st, 2010<br>
... using a iPhone app called TrackYourHappiness, Harvard psychology researchers sought to identify factors associated with greater happiness. "The study authors Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert were able to tease out that that [http://www.psfk.com/2010/11/whats-the-secret-to-happiness.html mind-wandering] was in fact the cause of much of the unhappiness."
|4=November 14th, 2010<br>
... the deadline for submissions the upcoming [http://www.westernpsych.org/convention/index.cfm Western Psychological Association (WPA) Conference] is fast approaching, midnight (PST) on November 15. The 2011 WPA Convention will be in Los Angeles from April 28 to May 1, 2011 at the Wilshire Grand. 
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|1=November 7th, 2010<br>
... that animals need play time too. According to a [http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/10/25/Researcher-Animals-need-playtime-too/UPI-60421288056574/ recent news article], "Gordon Burghardt, a psychology professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville says by more accurately defining play and watching it in the animal kingdom, humans may better understand themselves" and that play time has been observed "in species not previously thought capable of play, such as fish, reptiles and invertebrates."
|2=October 10th, 2010<br>
... to help facilitate the sometimes challenging process of teaching research methods and statistics in psychology we (Gary Lewandowski, Natalie Ciarocco, and David Strohmetz) created a website devoted to peer-reviewed resources for teaching these topics called [http://www.teachpsychscience.org/ TeachPsychScience] which provides: PowerPoints, exemplar studies, class demonstrations, class/lab activities, assignments, student practice exercises, and links to web-based resources. 
|3=October 3rd, 2010<br>
... in a [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WYJ-4Y2FKN0-7&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1482626242&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=dc7c19c9c3d1b1d83b0f76ed5b1b2406&searchtype=a recent article about journal citation data], the authors find that social/personality psychology is a hub within psychology, and that JPSP is identified as a "knowledge broker" that "absorbed and integrated knowledge from many other subfields and disseminated value-added knowledge to various consumers" (p. 355). 
|4=September 26th, 2010<br>
... there was a recent replication of the Milgram Experiment on [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124838091 French TV disguised as a reality TV show]. What was the source of the compliance? Was it the hostess and a chanting audience urging on the contestants? Was it the idea of trying to "win" a reality TV show? Decide for yourself by [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124838091 reading more] about the event. 
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|1=September 19th, 2010<br>
... there is a new database of faces for psychology research. The [http://www.socsci.ru.nl:8180/RaFD2/RaFD?p=main Radboud Faces Database (RaFD)] is a set of pictures of 67 models (including Caucasian males and females, Caucasian children, both boys and girls, and Moroccan Dutch males) displaying 8 emotional expressions.  The RaFD in an initiative of the Behavioural Science Institute of the Radboud University Nijmegen, which is located in Nijmegen (the Netherlands), and can be used freely for non-commercial scientific research by researchers who work for an officially accredited university. 
|2=September 12th, 2010<br>
... the [http://www.apa.org/apags/ American Psychological Association of Graduate Students] (APAGS) is collecting self-nominations from science students who would be interesting in attending the Fall APAGS meeting as observers.  This is a leadership development opportunity, and is geared particularly to those who are in the first three years of graduate training. If you would like to volunteer, please send a brief note stating your interest along with an abbreviated C.V. by Tuesday, September 7 to science at apa.org. Write “APAGS Leadership Development Opportunity” in the subject line. 
|3=September 5th, 2010<br>
... with the increasing call for reporting effect sizes (ESs) and associated confidence intervals (CIs) in journals, the first journal to adopt the practice [http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/78/3/287/ reports on its effectiveness] for the past few years, including statistics on usage, conclusions on reporting practices, and techniques for reporting summary statistics. 
|4=August 29th, 2010<br>
... the [http://www.spssi.org/ Society for Psychological Study of Social Issues] has a [http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=520&parentID=476 newsletter] column on an [http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=1422 interesting topic by Martin Greenberg] called, "The Flawed Lecture Technique as a Way of Increasing Student Involvement". 
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|1=August 22nd, 2010<br>
... there is a new MS program in Psychology at Arizona State University located in the [http://newcollege.asu.edu/graduate/degrees/msp New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences]. The program is research oriented and is most appropriate for students who wish to pursue a research-based or applied career in psychology or related fields.
|2=August 15th, 2010<br>
... a new professional society has formed - [http://www.socialclinical.org/ Society for Clinical and Social Psychology (SCSP)] - which intersects the field of social and clinical psychology. Membership includes subscription to journal, newsletter, updates, and opportunity for collaboration. 
|3=August 8th, 2010<br>
... a recent informal poll of graduate students in social psychology found that 77.8% reported the highest priority over summer is manuscript writing. In the [http://www.spsp.org/student/ Graduate Student Section] of [http://www.spsp.org/ SPSP - Society for Personality and Social Psychology], the most recent edition of the newsletter, [http://www.spsp.org/student/studnews.htm FORUM], has an article about "Tips and Strategies for Staying Productive over Summer!" which provides some useful tips and advice from fellow graduate students about how to approach summer in the most productive way possible.
|4=August 1st, 2010<br>
... robots may soon teach your class. A recent [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/science/11robots.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 New York Times article] discusses how researchers are developing highly programmed machines that can engage people and teach them simple skills, and that "Researchers say the pace of innovation is such that these machines should begin to learn as they teach, becoming the sort of infinitely patient, highly informed instructors that would be effective in subjects like foreign language or in repetitive therapies used to treat developmental problems like autism."
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|1=July 25th, 2010<br>
... are informed citizens better citizens? In recent research [http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/ reported in Boston], political scientists found that new facts do not necessarily change people opinions. People who are politically partisan sometimes even strengthen their beliefs in the face of new facts that counter their strongly held stances. 
|2=July 18th, 2010<br>
... Is the Science in Social/Behavioral Science Useless? That is the title of a [http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/scheff/ forthcoming article by Thomas Scheff]. See [http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/scheff/ his website], article #76, for his upcoming article in Contemporary Sociology in which he discusses the misuse of statistics in the social and behavioral sciences, including the debate between significance and effect sizes. 
|3=July 11th, 2010<br>
... the Fulbright Scholar Program for US Faculty and Professionals for 2011-2012 is now open. The Fulbright Scholar Program offers 20 awards in teaching, research or combined teaching/research in psychology, including two Fulbright Distinguished Chairs.  Even better, faculty and professionals in psychology also can apply for one of the 175 “All Discipline” awards open to all fields. For more information, visit www.cies.org/Webinar. 
|4=July 4th, 2010<br>
... there may be an overlap in the brain for physical and social pain. In a recent article in Psychological Science entitled, "Acetaminophen Reduces Social Pain: Behavioral and Neural Evidence", participants taking acetaminophen for 3 weeks reported a decrease in daily hurt feelings compared to the placebo group. Acetaminophen is designed for treating physical aches and pains, but maybe it also treats social ones.
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|1=June 27th, 2010<br>
... money increases your life satisfaction but not happiness. According to a new research [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/01/AR2010070100039.html reported in the Washington Post], a survey of more than 136,000 people in 132 countries found that day-to-day positive feelings of happiness were associated with having friends and family, feeling in control, and feeling respected.
|2=June 20th, 2010<br>
... money may decrease your ability to savor everyday experiences. In a recent article entitled, "Money Giveth, Money Taketh Away: The Dual Effect of Wealth on Happiness", participants manipulated to feel rich (compared to feeling poor) reported a lower ability to savor positive emotions and exhibited less enjoyment of life's everyday experiences. 
|3=April 18th, 2010<br>
... your happiness level decreases from age 18 to 50, and then your happiness level increases until age 85, at which point you have more happiness than where you started at age 18, according to a research study published online May 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more in this [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/research/01happy.html New York Times article] about which factors make people happy based upon age-related changes. 
|4=April 11th, 2010<br>
is there a psychology behind taxes? With tax day almost upon us, Bill Congdon of the Brookings Institution [http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/04/09/mm-psychology-behind-taxes/ was interviewed about his study of the behavioral patterns behind taxes] in which he describes examples of irrational economic behavior and smart consumer behavior when it comes to taxes and refunds.
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|1=April 4th, 2010<br>
... merely thinking about fast food can induce impatient behaviors and choices outside of the eating domain. In a [http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/03/19/0956797610366090.full recent article in Psychological Science by Zhong and DeVoe], researchers found that "found that mere exposure to fast-food symbols reduced people’s willingness to save and led them to prefer immediate gain over greater future return, ultimately harming their economic interest."
|2=March 28th, 2010<br>
... the 2010 [http://www.mindandlife.org/sri10.ml.summer.institute.html Mind & Life Summer Research Institute] will take place in Garrison, New York, June 14-20. The theme of the Summer Research Institute is Human Development, Education and Contemplative Practice. The purpose is to advance collaborative research among developmental, neuroscientists, and educational researchers and practitioners.
|3=March 21st, 2010<br>
... the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience [http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~scanlab/(SCAN) Lab] at Harvard University is seeking to hire one or two full-time research assistants to begin in Summer or Fall 2010.  These positions are ideal for recent college graduates or individuals looking to re-train in psychology/cognitive neuroscience. 
|4=March 14th, 2010<br>
... the [http://www.nepa-info.org/ New England Psychological Association] is hosting a conference in October 2010 at St Michaels College Colchester Vermont, and the proposals are due June 2, 2010. The NEPA conference also has a companion conference, New England Conference for Teachers of Psychology, held the first day of the NEPA conference.
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|1=March 7th, 2010<br>
... [http://www.globalpulse2010.gov/index.html Global Pulse 2010] is a 3-day, online collaboration event, that will bring together individual socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring the Global Pulse 2010, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services. Global Pulse 2010 is an online "virtual" event. Registration is FREE and participants can join from any computer with internet access. The event will be live, over the span of 3 days from March 29th to March 31st. 
|2=February 28th, 2010<br>
... Professor Jack Dovidio’s Yale Intergroup Relations Lab (YIRL) is accepting applications for volunteer research assistants for the summer of 2010. Applicants should be available for at least 8 weeks, mid-June - August. The ideal candidate is a motivated undergraduate or recent graduate with a keen interest in social psychology. To learn more about our lab, please visit [http://www.yale.edu/intergroup/ our website]. Interns work approximately 20-30 hours a week, which includes data collection, analysis, study design, and lab meetings.
|3=February 21st, 2010<br>
... the APA Science Directorate is pleased to sponsor its [http://www.apa.org/about/awards/scidir-stutrav.aspx annual travel award competition] for graduate students of psychology who will present research at the APA Convention. This year’s Convention will be held August 12-15, 2010, in San Diego, California. Graduate students who are the first author of a poster or talk are eligible to apply for one of this year’s grants of $300 each. The deadline for applications to arrive at APA is April 1, 2010.
|4=February 14th, 2010<br>
... "Smart men are less likely than dumb ones to cheat on their partners, according to a British study that was reported in the Daily Telegraph." From [http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/03/02/2010-03-02_smart_men_lss_likely_than_dumb_ones_to_cheat_on_partners_study.html this article] you can read how the researchers analyzed two large U.S. surveys that looked at the IQs and social attitudes of thousands of adults and adolescents. The finding was that "more intelligent men are more likely to value monogamy and sexual exclusivity than less intelligent men.” 
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|1=February 7th, 2010<br>
... the [http://historyofpsych.org/ Society for the History of Psychology] now has a new, [http://historyofpsych.org/ permanent website] that will allow members to find the latest information on the history of psychology community. The society is an international organization of scholars, teachers, and members whose interests and scholarship are concerned with understanding the historical events and important people who have shaped the development of psychological thought and practice.
|2=January 31st, 2010<br>
... there is a [http://www.eigenfactor.org/ website about Eigenfactors] which is a measure of the overall value provided by all of the articles published in a given journal in a year. The website also maps the structure of academic research, including interactive maping of academic fields and  information about why Eigenfactors are useful for determining journal impact.
|3=January 24th, 2010<br>
... there is a [http://www.astcweb.org/public/publication/ new trial skills journal called the Jury Expert] published by the [http://www.astcweb.org/public/index.cfm American Society of Trial Consultants] that features social sciences research articles by academics with commentary by trial consultants as well as articles on litigation advocacy skills by experienced trial consultants. The journal is free and open to subscribers.
|4=January 17th, 2010<br>
... do animals have emotions? Learn about the emotional life of animals on a [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions blog from Mark Bekoff] from the Psychology Today website that explores how/if animals think and feel, including morality, spirituality, love, and how animals think about us. 
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|1=January 10th, 2010<br>
... there is scientific proof people are happier on weekends! Using pagers with 74 adults over the course of three weeks participants were randomly paged throughout the day and asked to rate their activities. The findings were that "Men and women alike feel better — emotionally and physically — from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, regardless of their age, education, salary, marital status or how many hours they work, the study says. It's published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology." 
|2=January 3rd, 2010<br>
... thinking you have more self-control ironically leads you engage in my tempting situations and are thus more likely to give in to temptation. See this [http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/01/03/think_you_have_self_control_careful/ article about how] "students who were made to feel fatigued were less confident in their ability to control fatigue and were less willing to put off studying for exams" whereas "Smokers who were led to believe that they had superior self-control were more willing to keep a proscribed cigarette in their proximity, and, as a result, they were more likely to smoke it." 
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<br>
*[[Did You Know - 2008-2009.]]
*[[Did You Know - 2006-2007.]]