The 8 1/2 Laws of Rumor Spread

The 8 1/2 Laws of Rumor Spread: Most of us don't like to think of ourselves as gullible. But we're especially likely to accept as true—and do our best to spread—tales that have several specific characteristics that take aim at our best defenses.

Mind Hacks: You are kind, strong willed, but can be self-critical

Mind Hacks: You are kind, strong willed, but can be self-critical: "The tendency to see ourselves in vague or general statements has since been called the Forer effect or, alternatively, the Barnum effect, after the famous catchphrase attributed to the travelling circus impresario P.T. Barnum: 'There's a sucker born every minute!'"

FT.com / Tim Harford - How a celebrity chef turned into a social scientist

Tim Harford writes: "feeding primary school kids less fat, sugar and salt, and more fruit and vegetables, has a surprisingly large effect."

Wealth Happens - Wealth Distribution and the Role of Networks - HBS Working Knowledge

Wealth Happens - Wealth Distribution and the Role of Networks - HBS Working Knowledge "The finding suggests that the basic inequality in wealth distribution seen in most societies may have little to do with differences in the backgrounds and talents of their citizens."

Predictably Irrational � Blog Archive � The value of advice (by Alon Nir)

Predictably Irrational � Blog Archive � The value of advice (by Alon Nir): "Expert advice attenuated activity in areas of the brain that correlate with valuation and probability weighting. Simply put, the advice made the brain switch off (at least to a great extent) processes required for financial decision-making."

The Gendered Situation of Chess � The Situationist

The Gendered Situation of Chess � The Situationist: "When players were unaware of the sex of opponent (control condition), females played approximately as well as males. When the gender stereotype was activated (experimental condition), women showed a drastic performance drop"

Social Facilitation: How and When Audiences Improve Performance � PsyBlog

Social Facilitation: How and When Audiences Improve Performance � PsyBlog: "[W]hen other people are watching us we get more alert and excited and this excitement fires up what he called our 'dominant response'. Dominant responses are things like well-practised skills or particular habits. If this dominant response fits with the situation then our performance is enhanced, but if the dominant response is inappropriate then we tend to perform poorly."

The Al Gore’s Giant Fraggin’ Mansion Effect � A True/Slant Contributor

Neuroworld � Blog Archive � The Al Gore’s Giant Fraggin’ Mansion Effect � A True/Slant Contributor: "[W]e’re constantly calculating the trade-off between being able to see ourselves as good people and the cost of engaging in all that non-advantageous goodness.

You might expect that being prompted (primed) to think of yourself as a good person would make you more altruistic or moral — but, in fact, the exact opposite appears to be the case. Primed to think about what a good person you are, your most likely reaction is to think you’ve paid your morality dues and go on about your business."

Smile for the camera - it might help you stay happily married

Smile for the camera - it might help you stay happily married

"The bigger your grin in your high-school yearbook photo, the more likely you are to have a successful marriage, according to a new study."

Tactile illusions: Seven ways to fool your sense of touch - New Scientist

Tactile illusions: Seven ways to fool your sense of touch - New Scientist "It's surprisingly easy for your body to fool your brain."