Literally Psyched

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20 posts · 4,395 views

Literally Psyched uses literature and creative inspiration to explore concepts in the psychology of the mind and human thought.

Maria Konnikova
20 posts

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  • April 7, 2012
  • 10:26 AM
  • 530 views

Hunters of Myths: Why Our Brains Love Origins

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

A stylized apple with a bite taken out of its right side: chances are, even if you don’t own a single Apple product, you would still recognize the ubiquitous logo. But have you ever paused to consider the symbol’s origin? Perhaps it’s Adam and Eve and the quest for knowledge, the apple a symbol of [...]









... Read more »

Lombrozo, T. (2006) The structure and function of explanations. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(10), 464-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2006.08.004  

  • April 15, 2012
  • 03:37 PM
  • 429 views

The Innate Irresistibility of Film

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

When I was seven years old, my mom took me to see Curly Sue. Though I don’t remember much of the movie, two scenes made quite the impression: the first, when James Belushi asks Alisan Porter to hit him on the head with a baseball bat, and the second, when Bill, Sue, and Grey sit [...]









... Read more »

Smith, T.J., Levin, D. and Cutting, J. E. (2012) A Window on Reality : Perceiving Edited Moving Images. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(2), 107-113. DOI: 10.1177/0963721412437407  

Gilden, D. (2001) Cognitive emissions of 1/f noise. Psychological Review, 108(1), 33-56. DOI: 10.1037//0033-295X.108.1.33  

Nakano, T., Yamamoto, Y., Kitajo, K., Takahashi, T., & Kitazawa, S. (2009) Synchronization of spontaneous eyeblinks while viewing video stories. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 276(1673), 3635-3644. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.0828  

Hasson U, Nir Y, Levy I, Fuhrmann G, & Malach R. (2004) Intersubject synchronization of cortical activity during natural vision. Science (New York, N.Y.), 303(5664), 1634-40. PMID: 15016991  

Zacks JM, Speer NK, Swallow KM, & Maley CJ. (2010) The Brain's Cutting-Room Floor: Segmentation of Narrative Cinema. Frontiers in human neuroscience. PMID: 20953234  

  • April 30, 2012
  • 03:40 PM
  • 384 views

On writing, memory, and forgetting: Socrates and Hemingway take on Zeigarnik

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Does writing things down impede our ability to remember? This piece traces the relationship between memory and writing from Socrates, through Hemingway, to modern research in psychology.... Read more »

  • April 3, 2012
  • 04:00 PM
  • 275 views

Intelligence and Other Stereotypes: The Power of Mindset

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

On the impact of mindset on intelligence, performance, and ability... Read more »

  • October 5, 2012
  • 11:30 AM
  • 232 views

Is Huckleberry Finn's ending really lacking? Not if you're talking psychology.

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

The ending of "Huckleberry Finn" might be problematic for literary reasons, but not psychological ones.... Read more »

  • June 20, 2012
  • 10:00 AM
  • 222 views

How to fool Houdini--and avoid fooling yourself

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

An exploration of magic, secrecy, creativity, and the need for more openness ... Read more »

Leavitt JD, & Christenfeld NJ. (2011) Story spoilers don't spoil stories. Psychological science, 22(9), 1152-4. PMID: 21841150  

  • July 9, 2012
  • 01:40 PM
  • 220 views

Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: How do you kill your hero?

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Sherlock Holmes is the protagonist of this discussion of expectations and the contrast effect in literature.... Read more »

  • August 10, 2012
  • 11:15 AM
  • 218 views

Humanities are not a science. Stop treating them like one.

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Are the humanities and social sciences relying too heaving on quantitative analyses?... Read more »

Pádraig Mac Carron, & Ralph Kenna. (2012) Universal Properties of Mythological Networks. EPL 99 (2012) 28002. arXiv: 1205.4324v2

Spinney L. (2012) Human cycles: History as science. Nature, 488(7409), 24-6. PMID: 22859185  

  • March 18, 2012
  • 04:00 PM
  • 211 views

The Big Lesson of a Little Prince: (Re)capture the Creativity of Childhood

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

the psychology of the Little Prince... Read more »

  • July 23, 2012
  • 04:00 PM
  • 210 views

Warning: This story might make you anxious

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

An exploration of the origins and effects of anxiety... Read more »

Tye KM, Prakash R, Kim SY, Fenno LE, Grosenick L, Zarabi H, Thompson KR, Gradinaru V, Ramakrishnan C, & Deisseroth K. (2011) Amygdala circuitry mediating reversible and bidirectional control of anxiety. Nature, 471(7338), 358-62. PMID: 21389985  

  • September 5, 2012
  • 04:40 PM
  • 209 views

Revisiting Robbers Cave: The easy spontaneity of intergroup conflict

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

A look back on Muzafer Sherif's famous study... Read more »

Sherif, M. (1954) Status in Experimentally Produced Groups. American Journal of Sociology. DOI: 10.1086/221569  

  • February 8, 2013
  • 02:00 PM
  • 201 views

The man who couldn't speak--and how he revolutionized psychology

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Leborgne, Pierre Paul Broca, language, and the brain... Read more »

Broca, Paul. (1861) Perte de la Parole, ramollissement chronique et destruction partielle du lobe antérieur gauche du cerveau. Bulletin de la Société Anthropologique, 235-238. info:/

  • September 18, 2012
  • 06:00 PM
  • 199 views

The Great American Novel and the search for group cohesion

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Was the GAN a way to create American solidarity after the Civil War?... Read more »

Foels, R. (2006) Ingroup favoritism and social self-esteem in minimal groups: Changing a social categorization into a social identity. Current Research in Social Psychology, 12(3). info:/

  • August 16, 2012
  • 05:00 PM
  • 194 views

Reclaiming the sacred gift: A postscript on humanities and science

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

A follow-up to the discussion of the interplay of the humanities, social sciences, and hard sciences.... Read more »

  • June 13, 2012
  • 03:00 PM
  • 167 views

If we remember more, can we read deeper–and create better? Part II.

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Can memory improve our creative ability?... Read more »

  • February 26, 2013
  • 02:15 PM
  • 153 views

From the words of an albino, a brilliant blend of color

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

The first synesthete known to scientific literature... Read more »

Simner, J. (2012) Defining synaesthesia. British Journal of Psychology, 103(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.1348/000712610X528305  

  • April 12, 2013
  • 07:05 PM
  • 138 views

Why grad schools should require students to blog

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Popular writing hones the skills that are essential for success in academia.... Read more »

Kahneman, D., & Riepe, M. (1998) Aspects of Investor Psychology. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 24(4), 52-65. DOI: 10.3905/jpm.1998.409643  

Kellogg RT, & Raulerson BA 3rd. (2007) Improving the writing skills of college students. Psychonomic bulletin , 14(2), 237-42. PMID: 17694907  

Preiss, D., Castillo, J., Grigorenko, E., & Manzi, J. (2013) Argumentative writing and academic achievement: A longitudinal study. Learning and Individual Differences. DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.013  

  • January 14, 2013
  • 10:44 PM
  • 131 views

When I was your age…: Or, what is it with kids these days?

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Twentysomething, emerging adulthood, and the reminiscence bump... Read more »

  • May 1, 2013
  • 03:25 PM
  • 53 views

The perils of hindsight judgment

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

Why we shouldn't be so quick to judge when 'failures' of intelligence occur.... Read more »

Guilbault, R., Bryant, F., Brockway, J., & Posavac, E. (2004) A Meta-Analysis of Research on Hindsight Bias. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 26(2-3), 103-117. DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2004.9646399  

Kahneman, D., & Riepe, M. (1998) Aspects of Investor Psychology. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 24(4), 52-65. DOI: 10.3905/jpm.1998.409643  

  • May 16, 2013
  • 05:45 PM
  • 19 views

Want to be happier and live longer? Protect green spaces

by Maria Konnikova in Literally Psyched

The links between green space and life satisfaction -- and a brief history of Central Park... Read more »

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