Editor’s Selections: Blinking, kicking, working, and taking drugs… what could possibly go wrong?
October 13th, 2009 Editor's Selections 3 Comments
Dave Munger selects several notable posts each week from psychology and neuroscience. He blogs at Cognitive Daily and has a weekly column on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM.
- Viewers of videos synchronize their blinking. It’s true. When people watch videos in a group, they tend to blink at the same time. Steve Genco explains why.
- The goal really does seem bigger when you’re kicking well. Mo explains the research, which involves an extremely cute miniature adjustable field goal.
- People work harder when they believe their work is “meaningful.” A cool experiment involving Legos explains why adult video store clerks are the surliest people in the world (or so I’ve heard).
- Placebos have “side effects.” Neuroskeptic shows why this may mean that side-effects of real drugs are exaggerated.
