Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Researchers have finalllyyyyyy studied the ways we elongate words on social media, reports Matt Simon at Wired. The team developed a program that searched through 100 billion tweets for stretched words, finding some interesting patterns. Some words, for example, tend to be “unbalanced” (think “thaaaanks”), while others are balanced (think “hahahahaha”). The Wired story has some cool charts that show how common different stretched variations were for particular words.

Continue reading “Stretched Words And Imaginary Beasts: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Researchers are investigating whether flashing lights could be used to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease, David Robson writes at BBC Future. People with Alzheimer’s seem to have weak gamma brainwaves, and animal studies suggest that directly inducing brain activity at these frequencies can kick-start the brain’s immune cells. Now researchers are looking at whether inducing these waves non-invasively, through flickering lights or sounds, could help patients. Continue reading “Flashing Lights And Near-Death Experiences: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Sharing the content of your dreams with others can improve your relationships and increase your empathy levels, write Mark Blagrove and Julia Lockheart at The Conversation. Listening to someone discuss their dreams can help you enter their world and better understand their perspective, the pair write, while the act of story-telling can strengthen social bonds. Continue reading “New Norms And Difficult Dogs: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

One of our most popular posts here at Research Digest looked at whether we all hear an inner voice while reading (spoiler: most of us do — but 10% or so seem not to). Now researchers have found that readers aren’t the only ones to hear voices: authors themselves do as well. Almost two-thirds of authors surveyed at the Edinburgh book festival reported hearing their characters speaking while they were writing, reports Alison Flood at The Guardian. Continue reading “Publication Bias And Lockdown Memories: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Consumer-based brain computer interfaces (BCIs) have received a lot of hype in recent years — but many scientists are worried that the claims about what these devices can achieve don’t match the reality, reports Benjamin Powers at Undark. Often these devices also fall into a regulatory grey area, potentially leaving consumers, or their data, at risk. Continue reading “Talking Across Divides And Quashing Conspiracy Theories: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Bats are apparently able to imitate specific sounds, an ability shown by just a few other mammals and some birds. The bats’ calls were recorded, and the sound manipulated before being played back to them. Within a month, the bats had learned to copy the sounds in exchange for a food reward, reports Layal Liverpool at New Scientist. Studying vocal production in other animals can help psycholinguists understand the evolution of human speech. Continue reading “Brilliant Bats And Creative Outsiders: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Psycholinguists have taken a scientific approach to the creation of new swear words, reports Neuroskeptic at Discover Magazine. Researchers identified the ideal words to pair with profanities in order to come up with colourful new insults. Sticking -pig or -mouth to the end of your favoured swear word will probably have the desired effect, according to the work, while adding -newspaper or -fireplace could leave your insult falling flat.

Continue reading “Swear Words And Psychedelics: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

The 2020 World Happiness Report has been published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, with Finland ranking as the world’s happiest country. “Happiness” in the report doesn’t refer to the expression of emotion per se, writes Maria Cramer at the New York Times, but is rather about a sense of satisfaction in life and belief that members of one’s community care for each other — a particularly poignant definition given present circumstances. Continue reading “World Happiness And Psychedelic Placebos: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Despite tantalising headlines and claims from tech companies, we’re a long way from having computers that can read our minds. At WIRED, Nicole Kobie looks at the more immediate potential of brain-computer interfaces: giving a voice to paralysed people.

Continue reading “Anxious Dogs And Testosterone Myths: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Psychology news seems to be taking a backseat in the media this week as concerns about coronavirus mount around the world. But psychologists also have much to contribute when it comes to understanding the current crisis and our responses to it. Continue reading “Chart-Toppers And Clever Kea: The Week’s Best Psychology Links” →