12 posts · 3,238 views
Skeptikai is a platform for critical thinking, based in Tokyo. Articles generally deal with skepticism, psychology, sex, and Japan. With a lack of skeptical bloggers in Japan, it's all the more important for the word of reason to be spread far and wide.
Skeptikai
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- May 16, 2013
- 09:00 AM
- 13 views
The Psychological Science of Storytelling
Why is storytelling such an important thing in our everyday lives? Probably because everyone does it, but no one realizes it.
This article is about the power of storytelling, from your social life to the way stories affect your brain.... Read more »
Lacey S, Stilla R, & Sathian K. (2012) Metaphorically feeling: comprehending textural metaphors activates somatosensory cortex. Brain and language, 120(3), 416-21. PMID: 22305051
- April 30, 2013
- 09:30 AM
- 101 views
Are Vocal Homophobes Really Just Homosexuals in the Closet?
Homophobic protestors of gay rights assert things like "homosexuality will lead to the breakdown of civilization," and other such notions. But research is finding that some of these avid protestors are homosexuals themselves. Why is that?
Recent research looks at how cultural influences regarding homosexuality affect the psychology of homosexuals who are "in the closet." A new study is contrasted with information on pornography consumption, showing widespread hypocrisy throughout the world.... Read more »
Weinstein, N., Ryan, W., DeHaan, C., Przybylski, A., Legate, N., & Ryan, R. (2012) Parental autonomy support and discrepancies between implicit and explicit sexual identities: Dynamics of self-acceptance and defense. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(4), 815-832. DOI: 10.1037/a0026854
- February 16, 2013
- 12:20 AM
- 216 views
Are Religious People More Charitable, Generous, and Altruistic than Atheists?
Many people believe that religious people are kinder, more generous, more charitable, and even more altruistic than their non-religious counterparts. For example, US states with more religiosity donate more money to charity than those of less-religious states.
However, new research shows that the question of "are they more charitable, generous, or altruistic?" is not a simple 'yes' or 'no' question. This article looks at decades of research in its proper context,........ Read more »
Annis, L. (1976) Emergency Helping and Religious Behavior. Psychological Reports, 39(1), 151-158. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1976.39.1.151
Shariff, A., & Norenzayan, A. (2007) God Is Watching You: Priming God Concepts Increases Prosocial Behavior in an Anonymous Economic Game. Psychological Science, 18(9), 803-809. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01983.x
Smith, R., Wheeler, G., & Diener, E. (1975) Faith Without Works: Jesus People, Resistance to Temptation, and Altruism. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 5(4), 320-330. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1975.tb00684.x
- January 3, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 150 views
Tortured Confessions – The Science of Waterboarding, Torture, and “Intense Stress”
The new movie “Zero Dark Thirty” has been met with a lot of criticism about the role waterboarding played in getting information that contributed to the assassination of Osama bin Laden.
This article looks at the question of waterboarding not in ethical terms, but in efficacy terms. Is waterboarding effective at what it's supposed to do? Science provides the answer.... Read more »
O'Mara S. (2009) Torturing the brain: On the folk psychology and folk neurobiology motivating 'enhanced and coercive interrogation techniques'. Trends in cognitive sciences, 13(12), 497-500. PMID: 19781978
Kassin, S., & Sukel, H. (1997) Coerced confessions and the jury: An experimental test of the "harmless error" rule. Law and Human Behavior, 21(1), 27-46. DOI: 10.1023/A:1024814009769
O’Mara, S. (2011) On the Imposition of Torture, an Extreme Stressor State, to Extract Information From Memory. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 219(3), 159-166. DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000063
- December 6, 2012
- 08:10 AM
- 204 views
The Psychology of Workplace Boredom
Being bored at work can be quite a pain for some, but it can be life-threatening for others. Workplace boredom is a serious issue, but it is one often ignored by researchers.
This article discusses the causes and consequences of boredom, as well as how to end it at the workplace in a way that makes everyone win.... Read more »
Game, A. (2007) Workplace boredom coping: health, safety, and HR implications. Personnel Review, 36(5), 701-721. DOI: 10.1108/00483480710774007
Shackleton, V. (1981) Boredom and Repetitive Work: A Review. Personnel Review, 10(4), 30-36. DOI: 10.1108/eb055445
Skowronski, M. (2012) When the bored behave badly (or exceptionally). Personnel Review, 41(2), 143-159. DOI: 10.1108/00483481211200006
- October 25, 2012
- 08:17 AM
- 261 views
The Weapon of Comedy – Why Humour Gets the Point Across
New research on advertisements is suggesting that getting people to laugh is one way to break down their resistance. But humour also works in our everyday lives, which is why funny people can wield a very serious power if they know what they're doing.... Read more »
Strick M, Holland RW, van Baaren RB, & van Knippenberg A. (2012) Those who laugh are defenseless: how humor breaks resistance to influence. Journal of experimental psychology. Applied, 18(2), 213-23. PMID: 22564085
- September 21, 2012
- 12:05 PM
- 230 views
Does Drinking Make College/University Students Happier?
Does binge drinking make students happier? What about social drinking?
New research shows us whether or not alcohol helps us meet new people, or increases happiness.... Read more »
Sayette, M. A.,, Creswell, K. G.,, Dimoff, J. D.,, Fairbairn, C. E.,, Cohn, J. F.,, Heckerman, B. W.,, Kirchner, T. R.,, Levine, J. M.,, & Moreland, R. L. (2012) Alcohol and Group Formation: A Multimodal Investigation of the Effects of Alcohol on Emotion and Social Bonding. . Psychological Science, 23(8), 869-878. DOI: 10.1177/0956797611435134
- September 4, 2012
- 05:00 AM
- 328 views
Religious or Non-Religious: Who is More Likely to Be a Good Samaritan?
There is a stereotype that religious people make good samaritans, but are they really any more likely than their less religious counterparts to help others in need?... Read more »
Saslow, L. R.,, Willer, R.,, Feinberg, M.,, Piff, P. K.,, Clark, K.,, Keltner, D.,, & Saturn, S. R. (2012) My Brother's Keeper? Compassion Predicts Generosity More Among Less Religious Individuals. Social Psychological and Personality Science. . DOI: 10.1177/1948550612444137
Darley, J. M., & Batson, C. Daniel. (1973) "From Jerusalem to Jericho": A study of situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27(1), 100-108. info:/
- July 30, 2012
- 05:00 AM
- 378 views
Does Owning a Gun Increase or Decrease Safety? Science Answers
Many people bring home a gun in order to defend themselves against outsiders who are intent on harm. But here's the real question... does owning a gun really increase safety? Or might gun possession actually decrease safety?... Read more »
Dahlberg, L. L., Ikeda, R. M., & Kresnow, M. (2004) Guns in the Home and Risk of a Violent Death in the Home: Findings from a National Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 160(10), 929-936. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwh309
Branas, C. C., Richmond, T. S., Culhane, D. P., Ten Have, T. R., & Wiebe, D. J. (2009) Investigating the Link Between Gun Possession and Gun Assault. American Journal of Public Health, 10(11), 2034-2040. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.143099
Hemenway, D. (2011) Risks and Benefits of a Gun in the Home . American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5(6), 502-511. DOI: 10.1177/1559827610396294
- July 14, 2012
- 01:02 AM
- 418 views
Doctors Make Mistakes… Even the Preventable Ones
Doctors make mistakes when practicing medicine, but is this acceptable? Is it unfair to expect that the people who are supposed to take care of us when we are sick or injured do so without making easily preventable errors? Or are we, the patients, sometimes to blame for the mistakes made in medical treatment?... Read more »
Kripalani S, Roumie CL, Dalal AK, Cawthon C, Businger A, Eden SK, Shintani A, Sponsler KC, Harris LJ, Theobald C.... (2012) Effect of a Pharmacist Intervention on Clinically Important Medication Errors After Hospital Discharge: A Randomized Trial. Annals of internal medicine, 157(1), 1-10. PMID: 22751755
Baker RG, Norton PG, Flintoft V, Blais R, Brown A, Cox J, Etchells E, Ghali WA, Hébert P, Majumdar SR.... (2004) The Canadian Adverse Events Study: the incidence of adverse events among hospital patients in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 170(11). DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.1040498
West CP, Huschka MM, Novotny PJ, Sloan JA, Kolars JC, Habermann TM, & Shanafelt TD. (2006) Association of Perceived Medical Errors With Resident Distress and Empathy: A Prospective Longitudinal Study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296(9). DOI: 10.1001/jama.296.9.1071
- May 27, 2012
- 11:00 AM
- 580 views
New Gaydar Study: Bogus Science?
When the results of a new study on people's "gaydar" made the news rounds, it caught a bit of attention. But can we really judge someone's sexual orientation just by looking at them?... Read more »
Tabak JA, & Zayas V. (2012) The roles of featural and configural face processing in snap judgments of sexual orientation. PloS one, 7(5). PMID: 22629321
- July 22, 2011
- 12:39 PM
- 359 views
Japan wins the FIFA Women’s World Cup, people care
Who cares about the Women's World Cup? A whole hell of a lot of people. Continue reading →... Read more »
Rosenbaum DA, Sanghani RR, Woolen T, & Davis SW. (2011) Estimation of Injury Simulation in International Women's Football. Research in sports medicine (Print), 19(3), 162-9. PMID: 21722004
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