Monthly Archives: August 2009
Warning: Self Delusion Can be Painful
Self delusion is a remarkably powerful thing. It’s capable, for instance, of enabling total blindness to basic tenets of physical reality. At the same time, it’s capable of causing others to believe something so deeply that they’ll think and act in … Continue reading
Filed under Videos
Changing Socrates’ Diapers: An Interview with Author Alison Gopnik
At different points in history, baby brains have been described as blank slates, balls of clay, and information sponges—and the debate about which is closer to the mark has smoldered for centuries. Today, the debate is more refined, though no … Continue reading
Filed under Interviews
I Must Be Guilty – the Video Says So
A minor landslide of research from the past few years points to a dismaying fact about memory — it can be manipulated, far more often and extensively than previously thought. One implication of this realization is that eyewitness testimony, a stanchion of … Continue reading
Filed under About Research
Judgments Get Heavy When Weight is on Your Mind
A few years ago I was part of a group that was making a presentation to state health agencies on effective ways to educate the public about air quality. During our last practice session before the real presentation, one of … Continue reading
Filed under About Research
And Now for Something Completely Different: Encephalon 74
I’ve been following the Encephalon blog carnival for many moons, so I was honored to be asked to host the 74th edition of what has become the premiere showcase for the best of the best in brain and mind blogging. We’re … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Dishonesty and Emotion have a Stronger Link than We Think
Let’s say that you work in an office with several people, and everyone is expected to meet certain performance standards. You’re an outstanding performer, considered one of the best in the firm. A couple offices down from you is … Continue reading
Filed under About Research
The Fruits of Narcissism are Putrid for Employees
Narcissitic Personality Disorder – defined in the DSM-IV as a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Everyone at some point has come in contact with a narcissist, and it usually doesn’t take long to … Continue reading
Filed under About Research
David DiSalvo is a science, technology and culture writer whose work appears in Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today and a variety of other places.
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