Music is universal

Samuel Mehr, Manvir Singh (Harvard University), Luke Glowacki (Pennsylvania State University) Harvard University HarvardResearch Nearly 200 years ago, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow asserted “Music is the universal language of mankind.” Today, scientists at Harvard have published the most comprehensive scientific study to determine if the American poet’s words were mere cliché, or cultural truism. The study … Read more

Positive relationships boost self-esteem, and vice versa

Does having close friends boost your self-esteem, or does having high self-esteem influence the quality of your friendships? Both, according to a meta-analysis of more than two decades of research, published by the American Psychological Association. “For the first time, we have a systematic answer to a key question in the field of self-esteem research: … Read more

Can beauty be-er ignored?

Dr Rebecca Monk and Professor Derek Heim carried out a computer-based study in bars and pubs local to the University’s Ormskirk campus, by asking participants to respond to stimuli while ignoring photos of attractive and unattractive faces. The findings of the study – published this week in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors – showed that while sober participants … Read more

State of mind: The end of personality as we know it

We all have our varying mental emphases, inclinations, and biases. These individual dispositions are dynamic in that they can change over time and context. In a study published today in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Prof. Moshe Bar, a neuroscientist at the Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University (BIU), together with Noa … Read more

What puts women off bearded men?

Women who find bearded men less attractive may be deterred due to their potential risk for carrying ticks, bugs and lice, according to a University of Queensland study published today. Senior author Dr Barnaby Dixson from UQ’s School of Psychology said the findings suggested that when women judged men for their eligibility as a partner … Read more

Energy choices can be contagious – but why? New insights into peer influence

A growing body of research shows that the behavior of peers has a significant influence on an individual’s energy-related decisions, whether it’s choosing to install solar panels or to purchase a hybrid vehicle. In short, personal energy choices can be contagious. But why exactly that occurs is less clear. In a new paper, an interdisciplinary team of … Read more

UBC research shows more needs to be done to alleviate user concerns about privacy and security

Surveys show that consumers are worried that smart speakers are eavesdropping on their conversations and day-to-day lives. Now University of British Columbia researchers have found that people are also concerned about something else: friends, family and others who may have access to these devices. The team spoke to 26 Canadian adults who used shared smart … Read more