Top ten psychology studies of 2010

David DiSalvo sent me an email today to pitch his latest article at Psychology Today: "Ten Psychological Studies from 2010 Worth Knowing About." Cool. Take a look at what's included in the list: - Daniel Gilbert determined that we daydream 46.9% of our waking hours. Gad, do tell employers, or else they will cut everybody's pay in half. - Embodied cognition studies demonstrate that our physical environments are tied metaphorically to our social environments. "For example, the study shows that when you're negotiating a deal, it's better to sit in a hard, sturdy chair--doing so may lead you to negotiate harder than you otherwise would. And when you go for a job interview, be sure to carry your resume in a weighty, well constructed padfolio." - Sweat carries messages. "Gamblers sniffing the high-ropers' sweat . . . took significantly larger gambling risks compared to the bike-sweat-sniffing gamblers." - We're happier when we keep busy. - Rich people see other people. "People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are significantly better at accurately reading emotion--a key component of expressing empathy." All this and much more at David DiSalvo's blog at Psychology Today.

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Fair and Balanced?

Scanning the headlines today, I saw in my peripheral vision one announcing the latest list of inductees into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame. I've heard stories about the selection process, but haven't paid much attention because I guess it's most like the Wallaces' (and Wallechinsky's) Book(s) of Lists - based on opinion, not quantifiable metrics. Just who is Darlene Love anyway? No matter. I don't really care, but on a whim,I checked to see if my favorite group Rush is in. Nope. Conspicuous in their absence were also Kiss (I'd heard about that before). I consider Rush to be the most talented trio in the history of rock music. Rumor has it that Jann Wenner doesn't. Still, as opinionated and usually hermitlike as I am on music, I know I am not alone in my assessment (of Rush), plus I have multiple musicians in the family that agree with me. I'm not a fan of Kiss, but how are they any less influential than some of the others? Ah...Jann Wenner. True or not, both their absences make the Hall a joke because look at the list of past inductees. In: Steely Dan ????? (Oh, the words I could not use in public to describe what I think of that!); David Bowie?; James Taylor? Come on! Not in: Boston(??!); Yes (???!!); B-52's - Hello? Not Boston? Not Yes? In: John Paul and George (no Ringo) are in it as individuals and as the Beatles; Metallica; Aerosmith; AC/DC - all no brainers Not in: Kansas; Journey; Styx; Emerson, Lake and Palmer In: Stevie Wonder - are you serious?; John Mellencamp ??; Buffalo Springfield ?; ABBA ???; Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel; The director of the Rush documentary "Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" commented to Entertainment Weekly

“It’s unfortunate,” says Scot McFadyen, ...“We were hoping a lot more people in the [nominating] room had seen our documentary, and maybe that would have given them a different perspective on the band. But there are just some people that are holding out.” As disappointing as Rush’s latest snub was, McFadyen wasn’t necessarily surprised. “They’ve never been a critics’ band. The industry people that are involved with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rush has never been cool enough for them.”
I think Wenner and the Hall should adopt the slogan of another media entity that also isn't: "Fair and balanced" Last year, one list of snubs included Alice Cooper, who made the cut this time around. So who is missing in the Hall from your list?

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Chris Hedges is not bullish on America

I’m finished watching the first thirty minutes of this talk by Chris Hedges, and much of it is resonating with me. Here are a few of the early points made by Hedges: Those who have been hurt the most by corporate profiteering have been rendered invisible by the corporate media. The corporate media has imposed “a bland uniformity of opinion” upon us. Those who are the most powerful are not those who hold formal titles; It’s our job to make the powerful frightened of us. The question isn’t how to get “good people” into power. It’s how we can limit the damage done to us by people in power. Liberals have lost all credibility. We now have a bankrupt liberal class – one that is nihilist. They “refuse to confront the permanent war economy.” The up and coming fascist movements in America have tapped into the rage of ordinary American because liberals failed to seize the opportunity. We will now increasingly have to deal with politicians whose aim is totalitarianism. They will find scapegoats to blame for America’s woes, and they will not serve as legitimate rulers. Rather, they will, as George Orwell predicted, “cling to power by force and fraud.” We now have “inverted totalitarianism.” It has not been built around a demagogue; rather, it is "expressed in the anonymity of the corporate state." Citizens are utterly impotent within the current system.

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We the Banks

I caught this insanity at Democracy Now:

The next chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama has been quoted saying lawmakers and regulators should "serve" Wall Street. Speaking to the Birmingham News, Bauchus said, "In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks." Shortly before the midterm elections that propelled him into the committee chairmanship, Bachus urged a gathering of financial industry lobbyists to donate heavily to Republicans in response to the Democrats’ overhaul of financial regulation.

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Send people to college for Christmas

Once again, American is dropping loads of cash on trinkets and gadgets, supposedly to celebrate the birth of Jesus. That contorted thought process is a separate topic from what I really want to discuss here. In this post I'd like to recommend that you give your friends or family members an incredibly valuable gift of knowledge in lieu of trinkets and gadgets. Because your loved ones don't need any more knickknacks, so them to college instead. I am 1/4 through a college course that I am "taking" in my own home at night (while I ride an exercise cycle--it was 5 degrees yesterday in St. Louis). I'm taking "Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality, 2nd Edition." This course is taught by Robert Sapolsky of Stanford, and I must say that he is one incredibly capable teacher. The course cost me only $70 while on a special sale two weeks ago, and it included four video DVD's. For an extra $25 I was sent a detailed course outline and a written transcript of the entire 24-lecture course. Sapolsky, who is both brilliant and entertaining, has made it possible for me to push to a new, much more rigorous and memorable, level of understanding of neuroscience. Nothing like multi-modal learning, rather than sticking solely to books. I'd highly recommend Sapolsky's course, which I recently purchased from The Great Courses Company. Here's the pitch (I'm not being paid for this): Buy a gift certificate from The Great Courses Company (AKA "The Teaching Company") to send your loved ones to college this Christmas. They can choose from among hundreds of courses taught by highly decorated college professors. Courses seem to range from $35 to $200 (don't be frightened away by the ridiculous "list prices." Just click the course and see the real price, and keep in mind that various courses are featured at much lower prices periodically). The gift-recipient can choose from courses in many fields, including science, art, history and literature. Then after they finish taking their studies, of course, ask if you can borrow it.

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