If you’ve ever (even for a short while) lost your sense of smell – it may have been with early covid, but it could have been due to a heavy cold – then you’ll understand how disorienting it can be. We know that smell is deeply embedded in our brains and linked inextricably to memory. […]
The holiday season is upon us, and with it, opportunities to indulge in festive treats. The proverbial saying “you eat with your eyes first” seems particularly relevant at this time of year. The science behind eating behaviour, however, reveals that the process of deciding what, when and how much to eat is far more complex […]
When the alarm goes off in the early morning, it’s tempting to hit the snooze button and curl back under the warm covers for a few more minutes of slumber. This repeated postponing of the buzzer is often thought of as a bad habit—one that creates not only a lazy start to a day but […]
When I was doing my neuroscience degree, I always found it astonishing that, given the option, most rats will choose sugar instead of cocaine. Their lust for sugar is so intense that they will go as far as to self-administer electric shocks in their desperation to consume it. Rats aren’t alone in this drive. Humans, it […]
In 2021 more than 3,500 drivers in the USA alone died in traffic accidents linked to distracted driving. Using a mobile phone is the primary source of distraction, but entering navigational information, trying to eat and performing other such activities can be just as risky. A new study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied […]
First, it races away unstoppably—then it seems to stand still. Our perception of time is anything but constant. Two new studies suggest our heartbeat can cause passing moments to drag or fly. The experiments, led by separate research groups, have uncovered complementary findings. Together, their work confirms that the heart’s activity influences our perception of time […]
Working four days instead of five—with the same pay—leads to improved well-being among employees without damaging the company’s productivity. That’s the recently reported result of a four-day workweek test that ran for six months, from June to December 2022, and involved a total of 61 U.K. companies with a combined workforce of about 2,900 employees. […]
If you’ve ever had the eerie sensation there’s a presence in the room when you were sure you were alone, you may be reluctant to admit it. Perhaps it was a profound experience that you are happy to share with others. Or – more likely – it was something in between the two. Unless you […]
If you hate Mondays, you’re most certainly in good company. After a couple of days off, many of us have difficulty settling back into our routines and work duties. You may even have dread and anxiety that seeps into the weekend in the form of “Sunday scaries”. You can’t always change your schedule or obligations […]
It has long been known in scientific circles that oxytocin promotes bonding between people. A study by the Neurorehabilitation Research Group of KU Leuven in Belgium has found that the external administration of oxytocin, the so-called ‘cuddle hormone’ – or ‘hug hormone’ as I prefer to call it – stimulates adult males with autism to […]
Since the 19th century, when motivational science had its start, scientists have focused on what makes us persist through difficulties and achieve what we want. Only recently have they zeroed in on how we can relinquish our cherished aspirations—and why we should. Leaving aside a cherished objective may benefit psychological and even physical health. They term […]
Scientists who study happiness know that being kind to others can improve well-being. Acts as simple as buying a cup of coffee for someone can boost a person’s mood, for example. Everyday life affords many opportunities for such actions, yet people do not always take advantage of them. In a set of studies published online in the Journal […]