Money As Debt

Yet more evidence that the world does not work the way you think it does. Money As Debt explains the
Fractional Reserve Banking System. I had no idea but it sure explains why the credit crunch is so potentially devastating to the economy.

Study Links Gene Variant in Men to Marital Discord - washingtonpost.com

Study Links Gene Variant in Men to Marital Discord - washingtonpost.com: "Men are more likely to be devoted and loyal husbands when they lack a particular variant of a gene that influences brain activity"

Bad Science � Think yourself thin…

Bad Science � Think yourself thin…: "Their health, measured by things like weight, body fat, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and blood pressure, was related to their perceived amount of exercise, rather than the actual amount of exercise they got"

Peter Donnelly shows how stats fool juries | Video on TED.com

Peter Donnelly shows how stats fool juries | Video on TED.com

Children Educate Themselves III: The Wisdom of Hunter-Gatherers | Psychology Today Blogs

Children Educate Themselves III: The Wisdom of Hunter-Gatherers | Psychology Today Blogs: "like children everywhere, there is nothing that they desire more than to grow up and to be like the successful adults that they see around them. The desire to grow up is a powerful motive that blends with the drives to play and explore and ensures that children, if given a chance, will practice endlessly the skills that they need to develop to become effective adults."

The Secrets of Storytelling: Why We Love a Good Yarn: Scientific American

The Secrets of Storytelling: Why We Love a Good Yarn: Scientific American: "Storytelling is a human universal, and common themes appear in tales throughout history and all over the the world."

Physiognomy and success | Face value | Economist.com

Physiognomy and success | Face value | Economist.com: "What the boss looks like determines how he performs"

The Frontal Cortex : Rational Voters?

The Frontal Cortex : Rational Voters?: "they assume that my political preferences reflect some mixture of ideology and selfish calculation. I'll vote for the guy who best matches my geopolitics and tax bracket.

The problem, as political scientist Larry Bartels notes, is that people aren't rational: we're rationalizers. Our brain prefers a certain candidate or party for a really complicated set of subterranean reasons and then, after the preference has been unconsciously established, we invent rational sounding reasons to justify our preferences."

Mirrors Don’t Lie. Mislead? Oh, Yes.

Mirrors Don’t Lie. Mislead? Oh, Yes. - NYTimes.com: "Other researchers have determined that mirrors can subtly affect human behavior, often in surprisingly positive ways... 'When people are made to be self-aware, they are likelier to stop and think about what they are doing,' Dr. Bodenhausen said. 'A byproduct of that awareness may be a shift away from acting on autopilot toward more desirable ways of behaving.'"

Psychology Today: The Smell of Love

Psychology Today: The Smell of Love: It was found, by Wedekind and his team, that how women rate a man's body odor pleasantness and sexiness depends upon how much of their MHC profile is shared. Overall, women prefer those scents exuded by men whose MHC profiles varied the most from their own. Hence, any given man's odor could be pleasingly alluring to one woman, yet an offensive turnoff to another.