Stories tagged "psychology"

The extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are creating a large class of soldiers returning with emotional trauma. This trauma is leading to an increasing number of servicemen implicated in violent crimes. This trend is starting to raise alarms. Today, the New York Times reports that the secretary of the Army is considering a review of all of its soldiers involved in violent crimes since returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan Frosch co-authored the story and joins The Takeaway from Denver where Fort Carson is a small slice of a big story

For more about this troubling situation, read Dan Frosch and Lizette Alvarez's article in today's New York Times.

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These days it seems that economists are the go-to people to explain many of the world’s ills, from sub-prime lending to credit default swaps to Ponzi schemes to the bad, emotionally charged decisions that we make with our own money. Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist, has some first-hand insight into how one self-destructive financial decision can thrust us into a downward spiral of many bad decisions. Dan Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational.

What bad economic decisions have you made? Tell us!

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It's what women of the world have always suspected and what men of the world have always known. Watching romantic comedies may lead to unrealistic expectations in relationships. Now, psychologist Bjarne Holmes joins us in a discussion about the media, archetypes, and if soul-mates really do exist.

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A man known only as H.M. is the reason we know as much as we do about the brain.

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There may be measurable, scientific benefits to the American tradition of giving thanks. Jeffrey Froh, Assistant Psychology Professor at Hofstra University, talks with us about the measurable physical benefits of being grateful.

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There are now over 800,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those, roughly 300,000 have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but only half of these veterans have been professionally treated for their trauma. Traditional "exposure therapy" treatments help veterans get a handle on their experiences by having them relive them, using methods like talk therapy, guided visualizations, and others. Modern technology has recently begun making strides as effective treatment for 21st century combat. Software known as "Virtual Iraq" allows soldiers, through simulation, to become desensitized to deep-rooted traumatic experiences.

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In another sign the English language is evolving, you can add a new word to your vocabulary: "cyberchondria." It's the term for what happens when you go looking up your health symptoms online and wind up coming to the worst conclusion. A new survey by Microsoft showed this phenomenon on the rise. The Takeaway is joined by Cary Cooper, professor of Psychology and Health at Lancaster University in the UK, to look at why you're as likely to conclude your headache is from a brain tumor as from caffeine withdrawal.

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President-elect Barack Obama's message of "change" transformed the election. It was so infectious that even his opponents adopted the mantra. Now, how does the next president keep "change" alive?

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How many times have you heard the phrase, “Life’s not fair?” And yet, we haven’t let it stop us from trying to make everyone equal. We right wrongs, punish evil-doers, stop injustice. But what explains our urge to retaliate or our need to stick it to Wall Street for the subprime mess? It turns out it’s all in our genes, baby. New York Times science reporter Benedict Carey talks about the evolution behind retaliation, and our primal urge to make the world a little fairer.

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Politicians are masters at spinning their words to boost their appeal. Which candidate in this year’s presidential election uses the most spin? The Takeaway talks to David Skillicorn, a computer science professor Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

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A recent study suggests that the kind of music we prefer may have less to do with taste ( or lack thereof) and more to do with our personalities. For example, being a fan of opera could indicate that you are a gentle soul, with high self esteem and a creative bent. Other genres have other implications, as Professor North has researched.

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Are you still ambivalent about the presidential candidates? A new study says that, subconsciously, you’re much less torn than you think you are. Test your ambivalence with the U.S. Election 2008 Implicit Association Test.

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Function MRI, or fMRI, promises to map and discover new patterns of brain activity that were previously inaccessible. But are scientists so caught up in the possibilities of modern neuroscience that they are missing something?

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Get over it! The old adage reinforces the commonly-held belief that grief is a controllable social condition. However, scientists believe "complicated grief," a physical condition that affects a distinct part of the brain, could be affecting about one million Americans.

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"Freakonomics" author Stephen Dubner covers the dubious nature of self-reported data. Why do people lie and, moreover, why do people lie when it conflicts with their own self-interests? One reason, Dubner says, is out of a desire for social acceptance and the preservation of reputation.

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