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What might sheep and driverless cars have in common? Following the herd

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Psychologists have long found that people behave differently than when they learn of peers’ actions.

A new study by computer scientists found that when individuals in an experiment about autonomous vehicles were informed that their peers were more likely to sacrifice their own safety to program their vehicle to hit a wall rather than hit pedestrians who were at risk, the percentage of individuals willing to sacrifice their own safety increased by approximately two-thirds.

As computer scientists train machines to act as people’s agents in all sorts of situations, the study’s authors indicate that the social component of decision-making is often overlooked. [Read more…] about What might sheep and driverless cars have in common? Following the herd

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  • The appearance of robots affects our perception of the morality of their decisions
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    The appearance of robots affects our perception of the morality of their decisionsMoralities of Intelligent Machines is a project that investigates people's attitudes towards moral choices made by artificial intelligence. In the latest study completed under the project, study participants read short narratives where either a robot, a somewhat humanoid robot known as iRobot, a robot with a strong humanoid appearance called iClooney…
    Tags: people, moral, human, decisions, machines, problem, participants, humans, news

Common workplace interactions can trigger suicidal thoughts for employees with mood disorders

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Ignoring a colleague’s greeting or making a sarcastic comment in the workplace may actually do more harm than intended, according to West Virginia University research.

Perceived low-grade forms of workplace mistreatment, such as avoiding eye contact or excluding a coworker from conversation, can amplify suicidal thoughts in employees with mood disorders, based on a study by Kayla Follmer, assistant professor of management, and Jake Follmer, assistant professor of educational psychology.

“We know from prior research that minor forms of workplace mistreatment reduce employee engagement,” Kayla Follmer said. “But our paper provided an explanation for why this was occurring. Mistreatment increases suicidal ideation (thoughts) and because of that, work engagement is reduced.” [Read more…] about Common workplace interactions can trigger suicidal thoughts for employees with mood disorders

What happens when your brain can’t tell which way is up or down?

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What feels like up may actually be some other direction depending on how our brains process our orientation, according to psychology researchers at York University’s Faculty of Health. 

In a new study, researchers at York University’s Centre for Vision Research found that an individual’s interpretation of the direction of gravity can be altered by how their brain responds to visual information.

Laurence Harris, a professor in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health and Meaghan McManus, a graduate student in his lab, found, using virtual reality, that people differ in how much they are influenced by their visual environment. [Read more…] about What happens when your brain can’t tell which way is up or down?

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  • Keeping weight off is up to your brain, not just willpower, Ben-Gurion U researchers discover
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    Keeping weight off is up to your brain, not just willpower, Ben-Gurion U researchers discoverWhat if an MRI scan could determine whether a weight loss program was likely to be effective? Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have discovered a neural subnetwork of connected regions between the brain and gastric basal electric frequency that correlates with future weight loss based on connectivity patterns.…
    Tags: brain, researchers, participants, visual, health
  • Why some friends make you feel more supported than others
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    Why some friends make you feel more supported than othersIt's good to have friends and family to back you up when you need it – but it's even better if your supporters are close with each other too, a new set of studies suggests. Researchers found that people perceived they had more support from a group of friends or…
    Tags: people, group, participants, study, researchers, life

Research team of mathematicians suggested a new decision making algorithm

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A research team from RUDN University developed an algorithm to help large groups of people make optimal decisions in a short time.

They confirmed the efficiency of their model using the example of the market at which the outbreak of COVID-19 began. The model helped the administration and sellers agree on closing the market and reach a consensus about the sums of compensations in just three steps.

Decision theory is a field of mathematics that studies the patterns of decision making and strategy selection. In the terms of mathematics, decision making is an optimization task with multiple criteria. [Read more…] about Research team of mathematicians suggested a new decision making algorithm

Coming out as bisexual associated with increased risk of smoking

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For many years, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual (LGB+) folks have been known to be more likely to smoke than their straight counterparts.

But a new, first-of-its-kind Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study paints a more precise picture by looking at LGB+ identities separately and over time, finding that bisexuality is the identity most associated with smoking, especially around the time of coming out.

Published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the nationally-representative cohort study followed 7,843 youth and young adults over three years, finding that those who came out as bisexual were twice as likely as consistently-heterosexual participants to start smoking. [Read more…] about Coming out as bisexual associated with increased risk of smoking

Positive outlook predicts less memory decline

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We may wish some memories could last a lifetime, but many physical and emotional factors can negatively impact our ability to retain information throughout life.

A new study published in the journal Psychological Science found that people who feel enthusiastic and cheerful – what psychologists call “positive affect” – are less likely to experience memory decline as they age. This result adds to a growing body of research on positive affect’s role in healthy aging.

A team of researchers analyzed data from 991 middle-aged and older US adults who participated in a national study conducted at three time periods: between 1995 and 1996, 2004 and 2006, and 2013 and 2014. [Read more…] about Positive outlook predicts less memory decline

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  • How parental involvement affects children’s performance in school
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    How parental involvement affects children’s performance in schoolUsing data from the HSE University longitudinal study Trajectories in Education and Careers (TrEC), Ilya Prakhov, Olga Kotomina and Alexandra Sazhina determined which forms of family engagement in the school are useful and which are harmful to the student. This study makes it possible to monitor students' entire educational path…
    Tags: study, university, positive, life

Early results from DETECT study suggest fitness trackers can predict Covid-19 infections

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Examining data from the first six weeks of their landmark DETECT study, a team of scientists from the Scripps Research Translational Institute sees encouraging signs that wearable fitness devices can improve public health efforts to control Covid-19.

The DETECT study, launched on March 25, uses a mobile app to collect smartwatch and activity tracker data from consenting participants, and also gathers their self-reported symptoms and diagnostic test results. Any adult living in the United States is eligible to participate in the study by downloading the research app, MyDataHelps.

In a study that appears today in Nature Medicine, the Scripps Research team reports that wearable devices like Fitbit are capable of identifying cases of COVID-19 by evaluating changes in heart rate, sleep and activity levels, along with self-reported symptom data – and can identify cases with greater success than looking at symptoms alone. [Read more…] about Early results from DETECT study suggest fitness trackers can predict Covid-19 infections

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  • Caltech researcher unveils sensor that rapidly detects Covid-19 infection
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    Caltech researcher unveils sensor that rapidly detects Covid-19 infectionOne feature of the Covid-19 virus that makes it so difficult to contain is that it can be easily spread to others by a person who has yet to show any signs of infection. The carrier of the virus might feel perfectly well and go about their daily business--taking the…
    Tags: covid, infection, virus, test, levels, study, individuals, tested, data, detect
  • Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forests
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    Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forestsGlobal maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012 and published September 18 in the journal One Earth, showed that of these 1.6 billion “forest-proximate people”, 64.5 percent…
    Tags: people, data, life

Empathy may be in the eye of the beholder

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Empathy is talked about a lot these days. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a divisive political climate in the United States, calls for empathy have become louder and more urgent.

We encourage empathy for those inflicted with Covid-19 and those struggling with unemployment. We reminisce about the empathy of public figures who have recently passed away.

Both Democrats and Republicans have highlighted their own presidential candidate’s empathy and accused the other side of lacking it. [Read more…] about Empathy may be in the eye of the beholder

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  • Why social media has changed the world – and how to fix it
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    Why social media has changed the world – and how to fix itAre you on social media a lot? When is the last time you checked Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram? Last night? Before breakfast? Five minutes ago? If so, you are not alone – which is the point, of course. Humans are highly social creatures. Our brains have become wired to process…
    Tags: people, news, life
  • Why some friends make you feel more supported than others
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    Why some friends make you feel more supported than othersIt's good to have friends and family to back you up when you need it – but it's even better if your supporters are close with each other too, a new set of studies suggests. Researchers found that people perceived they had more support from a group of friends or…
    Tags: people, participants, life
  • The gravity of play: Quantifying what we enjoy about games
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    The gravity of play: Quantifying what we enjoy about gamesGames and the very act of playing have been around since before the cradle of human civilization. However, games have constantly evolved over time, with various rulesets and modes of play falling in and out of favor throughout history. In turn, this implies that people at different times enjoyed different…
    Tags: people, news, life
  • Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forests
    39
    Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forestsGlobal maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012 and published September 18 in the journal One Earth, showed that of these 1.6 billion “forest-proximate people”, 64.5 percent…
    Tags: people, life
  • The first human settlers on islands caused extinctions
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    The first human settlers on islands caused extinctionsThough some believe prehistoric humans lived in harmony with nature, a new analysis of fossils shows human arrival in the Bahamas caused some birds to be lost from the islands and other species to be completely wiped out. The researchers examined more than 7,600 fossils over a decade and concluded…
    Tags: people, news, life

Keeping weight off is up to your brain, not just willpower, Ben-Gurion U researchers discover

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What if an MRI scan could determine whether a weight loss program was likely to be effective? Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have discovered a neural subnetwork of connected regions between the brain and gastric basal electric frequency that correlates with future weight loss based on connectivity patterns.

BGU’s multidisciplinary team’s findings, published in the journal NeuroImage, support a prevalent neural theory that people with an increased neural response to seeing and smelling food consistently overeat and gain weight. [Read more…] about Keeping weight off is up to your brain, not just willpower, Ben-Gurion U researchers discover

Related Posts

  • What happens when your brain can't tell which way is up or down?
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    What happens when your brain can't tell which way is up or down?What feels like up may actually be some other direction depending on how our brains process our orientation, according to psychology researchers at York University's Faculty of Health.  In a new study, researchers at York University's Centre for Vision Research found that an individual's interpretation of the direction of gravity…
    Tags: visual, researchers, brain, participants, health
  • Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not
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    Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe notIt's generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests…
    Tags: health, participants, researchers, brain, news

Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not

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It’s generally accepted health advice that adults of all ages should sit less, move more, and engage in regular exercise to feel better and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

However, when it comes to the brain and cognition, a new study of older adults from Colorado State University suggests that some sedentariness isn’t all bad, so long as basic physical activity benchmarks are being met.

The research, from Assistant Professor Aga Burzynska in the CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, examined the association between sensor-measured physical activity and cognitive performance in a sample of 228 healthy older adults, aged 60 to 80. [Read more…] about Is sitting always bad for your mind? A new study suggests maybe not

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  • Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’
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    Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’A new Boston University School of Public Health study of the first four months of America's coronavirus epidemic, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that physical distancing (also called "social distancing") policies had little effect on lower income people still needing to leave their homes to go to work…
    Tags: people, study, physical, health, news
  • Hardly any sports but more physical activity during lockdown
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    Hardly any sports but more physical activity during lockdownIn spring 2020, when soccer and sports clubs closed for sever-al weeks due to the Corona pandemic, children and adoles-cents looked for alternative physical activities. According to a supplementary study covering more than 1700 children and adolescents aged from 4 to 17 as part of the Motorik-Modul Study (MoMo) conducted…
    Tags: physical, study, activities, activity, health
  • Program to improve outcomes for surgery for older patients shows promise
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    Program to improve outcomes for surgery for older patients shows promisePeople age 65 years and older account for 40 percent of inpatient operations and one-third of outpatient procedures, and these older patients are more vulnerable to longer hospital stays and other complications after surgery than younger patients. A beta test of a program for older adults who undergo major surgery…
    Tags: older, adults, study, news, health
  • High intensity training best for older people
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    High intensity training best for older people"First of all, I have to say that exercise in general seems to be good for the health of the elderly. And our study results show that on top of that, training regularly at high intensity has an extra positive effect," says Dorthe Stensvold. Stensvold is a professor in the…
    Tags: study, participants, people, exercise, health
  • Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask study
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    Stretching more effective than walking to lower high blood pressure: USask studyA new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated blood pressure levels. Walking has long been the prescription of choice for physicians trying to help…
    Tags: study, people, news, health