Stop!

After you've finished reading, stop! If you want to remember what you were reading, that is; apparently a ten minute break after reading allows your memory to consolidate and you remember what you've read much better - even a week later.

You can read about it on PsyBlog.

I wonder if eating chocolate enhances the effect. I'm willing to test out the theory - for the benefit of science, obviously. Does anyone else want to test the chocolate theory with me?

Have you had sex?

Whether or not you've had sex depends on how you define it. And people have some pretty funny definitions according to Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

What struck me was the statistic that

95 percent of respondents would consider penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) having had sex

What on earth did the other 5% think they were doing?

I also found the first comment very funny; human rationalisation knows no bounds. You can read all about it here.

I'm not evil

We don't like to think that we are immoral, so we make up reasons for our behaviour that make us look good. We even believe them ourselves.

A recent study found that given the choice between two magazines, one with women in swimsuits and one without, the men chose the swimsuit magazine. That wasn't the reason they gave, though. Each man was shown two magazines: one with wider sports coverage and another with more articles, and one or other of these had the bikini pictures. The men chose the magazines with swimsuit pictures but justified their choice by saying that they liked the magazine because it had more articles, or wider sports coverage. When they were told the real reason for their choice they did not believe it.

It's interesting to bear in mind when constructing villains. No one ever thinks that they are the villain.

Thanks to Mind Hacks for an excellent summary of the article.

How language affects your thoughts

I've found an easy way to avoid getting lost ever again. All you have to do is to learn the Aboriginal language of the Kuuk Thaayorre and you will always know where you are.

Instead of words like "right," "left," "forward," and "back," which, as commonly used in English, define space relative to an observer, the Kuuk Thaayorre, like many other Aboriginal groups, use cardinal-direction terms — north, south, east, and west — to define space. This is done at all scales, which means you have to say things like "There's an ant on your southeast leg" or "Move the cup to the north northwest a little bit." One obvious consequence of speaking such a language is that you have to stay oriented at all times, or else you cannot speak properly. The normal greeting in Kuuk Thaayorre is "Where are you going?" and the answer should be something like " Southsoutheast, in the middle distance." If you don't know which way you're facing, you can't even get past "Hello."

Taken from: HOW DOES OUR LANGUAGE SHAPE THE WAY WE THINK? by Lera Boroditsky which is a fascinating article that explores the effects of language on the perception of time and colour as well as space.

Beats GPS every time.

Memories

Your memory may not be as bad as you think it is. Research shows that how bad you think your memory is depends far more on your mood than on your memory itself. I found the summary of the research at Mind Hacks.

I always feel slightly disturbed to realise how much of my thinking goes on without my knowing about it. On the other hand, it's reassuring to realise that my memory may not be as bad as I think it is!

Nature is good for you

Psyblog has just posted some research that shows that a walk in the country is good for your short-term memory. What I find interesting is the finding that looking at pictures of nature has a similar effect. So as a public service here is today's short-term memory booster, just for you:



It was taken at Pyrford Lock. The very best picture I have of that area is on my desktop but it has a picture of my Beloved* in it, so I wasn't sure that I wanted to post it up here for all to see.

When I first started working in a school, about eight years ago, I had a cupboard of a room for an office but with a glorious view of a huge tree in the school grounds. I regularly stopped work just to gaze out of the window at the tree and draw sustenance from it. When I moved to a much larger, pleasanter room I missed the tree. I wonder if indoor plants have the same effect.

*Yes, "my Beloved" is the same as "my Husband" just in case anyone was wondering.