Deric Bownds

LATEST ARTICLES ( 2628 )

• How to Goose Your Memory.

  The abstract from Inman et al., "Direct electrical stimulation of the amygdala enhances declarative memory in humans." They show that stimulation of the amygdal... Read more

  Posted on 01 February 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Commentary on Devolution of Advanced Societies Towards Tribalism.

  I have been wanting to point to a number of Op-Ed articles that try to make a story to explain the apparent devolution of many advanced societies towards... Read more

  Posted on 31 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Corporate Social Responsibility to Counter the Sociopathy of Capitalism?

  Sorkin describes a striking letter sent out to business leaders by BlackRock, the largest investment firm in the world. The article and letter are worth a read. Read more

  Posted on 30 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• How Our Bones Regulate Our Weight.

  Jansson et al. report that bones have a gravity sensor that initiates metabolic changes that compensate for a sudden change in body weight to return the body... Read more

  Posted on 29 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Taming Modern Frankensteins

  The Jan. 12 issue of Science Magazine has an interesting section of articles on the long shadow cast by Mary Shelley’s 200 year old Frankenstein tale. Read more

  Posted on 26 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Preferences for Moral Vs. Immoral Traits in Others Are Conditional

  Wow, talk about work relevant to our current political situation...where some people (like myself) can not understand how anyone could support a president who i... Read more

  Posted on 25 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Self Protection from Social Media Feedback.

  Rodman et al. show that adults and adolescents deal with peer feedback in very different ways: Significance The growing popularity of social media, especially... Read more

  Posted on 24 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• The ‘social Genomes’ of Friends Are Correlated.

  Here is an interesting study from Domingue et al.: Significance Our study reported significant findings of a “social genome” that can be quantified and studied... Read more

  Posted on 23 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• How Much Can We Change Our Aging?

  I'm using this post to point to the notes for a lecture on aging that I recently gave to a senior group in Austin Texas. It begins with a list of things over... Read more

  Posted on 22 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Improving Ourselves to Death

  Alexandra Schwartz notes a number of self help books and considers how their advice reflects the beliefs and priorities of our era. Read more

  Posted on 19 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Explanation of Fraternal Birth Order Effect on Sexual Orientation.

  A number of studies have by now confirmed that the probability of a boy growing up to be gay increases for each older brother born to the same mother, the... Read more

  Posted on 18 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Benefits of Talking to Yourself.

  Talking to ourselves either internally or out loud we can switch from 1st person voice (I can do this) to second person (you can do this) or third person voice... Read more

  Posted on 17 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Old Brains Come Uncoupled in Sleep.

  From Helfrich et al.: Highlights •Precise coupling of NREM (Non-rapid-eye-movement) slow waves and spindles dictates memory consolidation •Aging... Read more

  Posted on 16 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• How to Detect That Someone is Sick.

  

  Alexsson et al. do a study suggesting that you should look first for droopy eyelids and corners of the mouth, then also check for pale skin and lips, how puffy... Read more

  Posted on 15 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• A Two-System Framework for Understanding Fear and Anxiety.

  LeDoux and Pine note that extensive study and understanding of how mammalian brains, including our own, detect and respond to threats has not led to... Read more

  Posted on 12 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Demonstrating Reciprocity on a Global Scale.

  In this age that seems characterized by increasing domestic and international chaos, I like to pass on any work that shows potential buffering or stability in... Read more

  Posted on 11 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Forget About Major Life Extension - Aging is a Fundamental Feature of...

  Nelson and Masel, present a theoretical argument summarized by Wagner in his brief essay on their paper. From Wagner: Paul Nelson and Joanna Masel present a... Read more

  Posted on 10 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Exercise Alters the Microbiome, Enhancing Immune Function.

  Reynolds points to interesting work by Allen et al. showing that exercise by lean, but not obese, subjects enhances microbial production of short chain fatty... Read more

  Posted on 09 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Memories Are Stored by the Extracellular Matrix Surrounding Brain Cells.

  Fascinating work from Thompson et al., who show that degrading the extracellular matrix structure with local injections into visual cortex area 2L of bacterial... Read more

  Posted on 08 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE

• The Narcissism Epidemic is Dead?

  

  An interesting piece from Wetzel et al., who find no evidence for a commonly reported narcissism epidemic over the past 10-20 years, based on the perception tha... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2018 PSYCHOLOGY, SCIENCE