Revenge of the Introvert [Researchers] found that having “an orientation inconsistent with societal values” is a risk factor for poor mental health. The findings support what the researchers call the personality-culture clash hypothesis: “Psychological adjustment depends on the degree of match between personality and the values of surrounding society.” To the extent that introverts feel […]
Category Archives: serious stuff
Stupidity is hardwired
Friday, September 20, 2013
The Most Depressing Discovery About the Brain, Ever Nyan and his collaborators have been running experiments trying to answer this terrifying question about American voters: Do facts matter? The answer, basically, is no. When people are misinformed, giving them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs more tenaciously.
hockey
Friday, May 31, 2013
Why Can’t Canada Win the Stanley Cup? […] there is almost certainly a shortage of N.H.L. teams in Canada relative to the demand for hockey there and the revenues that Canada contributes to the league. […] Had the distribution of N.H.L. teams more closely matched fan interest in the sport across the United States and […]
:(
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
A Personal Statement from Iain Banks […] I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps). One of my favourite authors of recent years.
obvious when you think about it
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Refusing to apologize can have psychological benefits (and we issue no mea culpa for this research finding) Despite an understanding of the perception and consequences of apologies for their recipients, little is known about the consequences of interpersonal apologies, or their denial, for the offending actor. In two empirical studies, we examined the unexplored psychological […]
oscar voting
Friday, March 22, 2013
Procedures & Applications: Academy Awards Nominations and Single Transferable Vote Candidate E is known as the Condorcet winner, as it defeats all other candidates in pairwise, head-to-head elections. The Condorcet winner, if one exists, is viewed as a compromise candidate that garners support from the entire electorate, because it can defeat every other candidate head-to-head. […]
on the bright side
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Depressive realism is the proposition that people with depression actually have a more accurate perception of reality, specifically that they are less affected by positive illusions of illusory superiority, the locus of control and optimism bias. Depressive Realism May Not Be Real In the lyrics to the song “Dumb,” Kurt Cobain sang “I think I’m […]
“You are not entitled to your opinion.”
Friday, October 12, 2012
“You are only entitled to what you can argue for. “A bit harsh? Perhaps, but philosophy teachers owe it to our students to teach them how to construct and defend an argument – and to recognize when a belief has become indefensible.”
Mormonism: even stranger than i thought
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Why I Love Mormonism – Simon Critchley […] “ ‘As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be.’ ” “So, dear Simon,” my new friend concluded, “we, too, can become Gods, American Gods, no less.” He chuckled. I was astonished.
But how are you going to make them take the pills?
Monday, July 30, 2012
Philosophy Now: Moral Enhancement We are at the early stages of such research, but there are few cogent philosophical or moral objections to the use of specifically biomedical moral enhancement – or moral bioenhancement. In fact, the risks we face are so serious that it is imperative we explore every possibility of developing moral bioenhancement […]
