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Tuck into our latest round-up of the best psych and neuro links.

06 July 2012

By Christian Jarrett

With Britain engulfed in another banking scandal, Ian Leslie for the Guardian blamed excess testosterone, whilst Ian Robertson explained the effects of bankers having too much power and greed (in case you missed it, the Digest also reported on a study suggesting that threatening a man’s masculinity makes him into a short-sighted risk taker).

Scientists are finding ways to re-open critical periods of development for neuroplasticity and learning – Ace Nature News feature by Jon Bardin.

“The aging brain: Why getting older just might be awesome” – an uplifting article from CNN.

The Smeesters scandal continues to roll on, with the whistleblower Uri Simonsohn telling Nature that he’s identified two further cases that have yet to be made public (for a low down on the Smeesters case, check out this Digest preview of a forthcoming Psychologist news item “Fake Data or Scientific Mistake?”).

Tricks for overcoming procrastination.

There’s also a new book out called “Wait. The Useful Art of Procrastination“. You can listen to an audio of the author Frank Partnoy speaking at the RSA.

The June Neuropod podcast is online and includes items on neurofeedback, auditory memory and fMRI tech.

Prejudiced people are slower to recognise faces from other races, reports Mo Costandi from the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness held in Brighton, UK, this week.

NYT obit for pioneering occupational psychologist Harry Levinson who died last week, aged 90.

From our sister blog, the Occupational Digest: How does availability of men in the environment affect women’s career focus?

Why fiction is good for you.

Forget positive thinking, says Richard Wiseman, try positive action.

What exactly is embodied cognition? – new PsychFiles podcast.

The Science of Laughter – Sophie Scott writes for the Guardian about a trial she’s running at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition.

New TED talk – Alanna Shaikh on how she’s preparing to get Alzheimer’s.

Carl Zimmer is underwhelmed (and a little worried) about the ever-increasing range of psychoactive soft drinks.

The Importance of Studying the Obvious.

10 Tips to Manage Your Worrying – from Prof Graham Davey.