With springtime comes the desire to shed those few extra pounds, in preparation to don swimsuits and head to the pool. This year, new obesity research is making it easier to find a pathway that is right for us. There is no doubt that weight loss is a higher priority than ever before. Americans have … Read more
We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Is that true though? While new research from the University of California, San Diego makes no claims on quantifying just how many words a picture is really worth, it shows that a single picture has the power to sway people — changing how they … Read more
Dodging spoilers on the internet is no easy task, especially if your ex is using them as a form of revenge. Many of us live in fear of reading a spoiler about our favorite TV show or an upcoming blockbuster. But should we be working so hard to avoid spoilers? Do they actually ruin stories? … Read more
Hugs. High fives. Fist bumps. Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley psychology professor, examined NBA games to see if there is a relationship between a team’s success and how often they touch. FEATURING: Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley and founding faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley The research highlighted in … Read more
A neuroscientist from UC San Deigo —V.S. Ramachandran— recently spoke with the Greater Good Science Center about the relationship between empathy and mirror neurons: “For example, pretend somebody pokes my left thumb with a needle. We know that the insular cortex fires cells and we experience a painful sensation. The agony of pain is probably … Read more
Are some people genetically predisposed to stay happily married? Researchers at UC Berkeley have found a major clue in our DNA. Robert Levenson and his team have found a link between relationship fulfillment and a gene variant — known as the “short allele” — of the serotonin transporter gene. The gene is involved in the … Read more