The size of your pupil shows which letter you are reading

We present a new human-computer interface that is based on decoding of attention through pupillometry. Our method builds on the recent finding that covert visual attention affects the pupillary light response: Your pupil constricts when you covertly (without looking at it) attend to a bright, compared to a dark, stimulus. In our method, participants covertly Read more about The size of your pupil shows which letter you are reading[…]

Winning a competition predicts dishonest behavior

Winning a competition engenders subsequent unrelated unethical behavior. Five studies reveal that after a competition has taken place winners behave more dishonestly than competition losers. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that winning a competition increases the likelihood of winners to steal money from their counterparts in a subsequent unrelated task. Studies 3a and 3b demonstrate Read more about Winning a competition predicts dishonest behavior[…]

Brain – Computer interfaces could be built from graphene: shown to safely interact with neurons in the brain

Researchers have successfully demonstrated how it is possible to interface graphene – a two-dimensional form of carbon – with neurons, or nerve cells, while maintaining the integrity of these vital cells. The work may be used to build graphene-based electrodes that can safely be implanted in the brain, offering promise for the restoration of sensory Read more about Brain – Computer interfaces could be built from graphene: shown to safely interact with neurons in the brain[…]

Why people think total nonsense is really deep

The precise reasons that people see profundity in vague buzzwords or syntactic but completely random sentences are unknown. Some people might not realize the reason they don’t understand something is simply because there is nothing to understand. Or they might just approach things they hear and read less skeptically. There are also a few characteristics Read more about Why people think total nonsense is really deep[…]

Study finds honesty varies significantly between countries

Beliefs about honesty seem to be driven by psychological features, such as self-projection. Surprisingly, people were more pessimistic about the honesty of people in their own country than of people in other countries. One explanation for this could be that people are more exposed to news stories about dishonesty taking place in their own country Read more about Study finds honesty varies significantly between countries[…]

To make persuasive political arguments, couple your argument to the opposing moral values

Stanford sociologist Robb Willer finds that an effective way to persuade people in politics is to reframe arguments to appeal to the moral values of those holding opposing positions.[…]Conservative participants were ultimately persuaded by a patriotism-based argument that “same-sex couples are proud and patriotic Americans … [who] contribute to the American economy and society.”[…]”Moral reframing Read more about To make persuasive political arguments, couple your argument to the opposing moral values[…]

Recruiters think of you as smarter, would prefer to hire you when they hear your pitch than when they read it.

In comparison with those who read the transcripts, the evaluators who heard pitches judged the candidates to have greater intellect (to be more rational, thoughtful, and intelligent), on average. They also liked the individuals more, had a more positive overall impression, and — perhaps most important — were more interested in hiring the candidates. Evaluators Read more about Recruiters think of you as smarter, would prefer to hire you when they hear your pitch than when they read it.[…]

Prosthetic hands can now feel

A 28-year-old who has been paralyzed for more than a decade as a result of a spinal cord injury has become the first person to be able to “feel” physical sensations through a prosthetic hand directly connected to his brain, and even identify which mechanical finger is being gently touched.The advance, made possible by sophisticated Read more about Prosthetic hands can now feel[…]

Apply Magic Sauce – Cambridge University Prediction API that takes your Facebook likes and creates a predictive psych-demographic profile

his is a prediction of your psycho-demographic profile based on your Facebook Likes. It uses a snapshot of your digital footprint to visualise how others perceive you online and therefore may not be an entirely accurate picture of who you really are. You could take more psychometric tests as well and compare the results! Source: Read more about Apply Magic Sauce – Cambridge University Prediction API that takes your Facebook likes and creates a predictive psych-demographic profile[…]

How Ashley Madison Hid Its Fembot Con From Users and Investigators

The developers at Ashley Madison created their first artificial woman sometime in early 2002. Her nickname was Sensuous Kitten, and she is listed as the tenth member of Ashley Madison in the company’s leaked user database. On her profile, she announces: “I’m having trouble with my computer … send a message!” Source: How Ashley Madison Read more about How Ashley Madison Hid Its Fembot Con From Users and Investigators[…]

Robot surgeons kill 144 patients, hurt 1,391, malfunction 8,061 times / 1.7 million

A team of university eggheads have counted up the number of medical cockups in America reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 2000 to 2013, and found there were 144 deaths during robot-assisted surgery, 1,391 injuries, and 8,061 counts of device malfunctions. If that sounds terrible, consider that 1.7 million robo-operations were Read more about Robot surgeons kill 144 patients, hurt 1,391, malfunction 8,061 times / 1.7 million[…]

A Review on Night Enhancement Eyedrops Using Chlorin e6

it seems fair to say that this technique is successful in it claims for low light amplification in the human eye. These findings are subjective experiences. Subject experienced no adverse effects following administration. Preliminary testing seems to indicate this increase in dim light vision to be occurring via A Review on Night Enhancement Eyedrops Using Read more about A Review on Night Enhancement Eyedrops Using Chlorin e6[…]

Homeopathy not effective for any medical condition

After a years-long review of hundreds of studies, Australia’s top medical research agency has concluded that homeopathy is essentially useless for treating any medical condition. Researchers with the National Health and Medical Research Council conducted a review of published studies on homeopathy and report that they could not find any good quality evidence to support Read more about Homeopathy not effective for any medical condition[…]

This Map Shows Where the Happiest and Unhappiest People Live in the US

All other things being equal, the south, parts of the west, and upper midwest are the happiest places in the United States according to a recent study. Researchers from Harvard University and the University of British Columbia took data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which asked 300,000 individuals to report on their Read more about This Map Shows Where the Happiest and Unhappiest People Live in the US[…]

People Can Be Convinced They Committed a Crime That Never Happened

Evidence from some wrongful-conviction cases suggests that suspects can be questioned in ways that lead them to falsely believe in and confess to committing crimes they didn’t actually commit. New research provides lab-based evidence for this phenomenon, showing that innocent adult participants can be convinced, over the course of a few hours, that they had Read more about People Can Be Convinced They Committed a Crime That Never Happened[…]

Besides Lifestyle and Inherited Genes, Cancer Risk Also 66% Tied to Bad Luck

The researchers, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, analyzed published scientific papers to identify the number of stem cells, and the rate of stem-cell division, among 31 tissue types, though not for breast and prostate tissue, which they excluded from the analysis. Then they compared the total number of lifetime stem-cell Read more about Besides Lifestyle and Inherited Genes, Cancer Risk Also 66% Tied to Bad Luck[…]

Antidepressants rapidly alter brain architecture

A single dose of a popular class of psychiatric drug used to treat depression can alter the brain’s architecture within hours, even though most patients usually don’t report improvement for weeks, a new study suggests. More than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. use these drugs, which adjust the availability of a chemical transmitter Read more about Antidepressants rapidly alter brain architecture[…]

ads showing sexy women make male consumers less charitable

What happens when you use images of sexy women to attract men’s attention? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, male consumers who are shown images of sexy women feel less connected to other people and are less likely to purchase products advertised as benefiting others or make charitable contributions. via Read more about ads showing sexy women make male consumers less charitable[…]