Extras

How and why people get lost in buildings.

The sound of music makes time fly.

Do monkeys think in metaphors?

East Asians and Westerners responded differently to the news of the Swine Flu outbreak of 2009. A new study suggests this is because the greater historical threat of pathogens in the Asian region has led to a ‘culturally adapted’ behavioural response in that area [pdf].

Does speaking a different language change your personality? [see earlier]

Children with autism were more easily tricked by the vanishing ball illusion, not less as the researchers predicted.

The psychological effects of going to a music festival.

Cordelia Fine, author of the widely publicised new book Delusions of Gender, also has a journal article out: From Scanner to Sound Bite: Issues in Interpreting and Reporting Sex Differences in the Brain.

Past research has shown that observers can accurately judge a person’s sexuality from their face within a fraction of a second. A new study suggests the judgment is made based on the gendered appearance of the face – for example a more feminine male face is more likely to be perceived as belonging to a homosexual man.