Red-faced? Healthy brain
“Scientists at the University of California conducted an embarrassing study: They recorded volunteers belting out My Girl by the Temptations, and then had them listen to their own voice without the accompanying music,” Psych Central reports. “The purpose of the karaoke wasn’t to find the next American Idol – it was to determine which part of the brain is actually responsible for the uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment. Then, to get an even better idea of the brain areas involved, the scientists recruited volunteers with neurodegenerative disease. When comparing the two groups, researchers were able to determine that embarrassment is rooted in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex – a small bit of tissue in the right hemisphere of the front part of the brain. The degree of the participants’ embarrassment depended on how well this region was functioning.”
Blushing for others
“Ever wonder why some people can’t stand the over-the-top awkwardness of characters on The Office while others love it?” ABC News asks. “It may have to do with the ability to feel empathy, according to new research from the Philipps-University Marburg in Germany. Researchers analyzed how people experience vicarious embarrassment – the cringe we feel when the host of a party makes a toast with a piece of spinach in his teeth – and found that it was closely tied to feelings of empathy and empathy centres in the brain. … Though empathy is usually thought of as pain we experience with someone – they suffer and we suffer with them – researchers found that the subjects felt vicarious embarrassment even when the strangers in question were blissfully unaware of their pratfalls. ‘We are wired for empathy,’ says Dr. Marco Iacoboni, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioural sciences at [the University of California, Los Angeles]. ‘Human instinct is to be empathic. We can’t help it.’ ”
Man bites dog, sues
“A 33-year-old man who bit back after he was caught by a Phoenix police dog is suing police,” Associated Press reports. “Erin Sullivan alleges the dog violated his civil rights and used excessive force to capture him after he ran from officers in Glendale during a burglary investigation last year. Police say Sullivan bit the dog back, injuring it. The lawsuit names the cities of Phoenix and Glendale and four officers. … Sullivan is serving eight years for convictions in the Glendale burglary.”
Weren’t listening? Try this
In her new book, Consider It Done: Accomplish 228 of Life’s Trickiest Tasks, Julie Subotky has advice for those caught not paying attention:
– Respond as if you were paying attention and heard the question but didn’t quite understand what it meant. Say, “I’m not exactly sure what you mean by that,” or something similar.
– Say you agree with what the previous speaker said, but were hoping they could elaborate.
– Change the topic by having prepared something to say beforehand and respond: “Before we talk about that, can I ask a question about.…”
– As a preventive measure, speak up voluntarily early in class. Chances are you won’t get called on again the same day.
Police with vision
“Brazilian police will use futuristic ‘RoboCop-style’ glasses fitted with facial recognition equipment to identify and root out troublemakers at the 2014 World Cup,” The Daily Telegraph reports. “A small camera fitted to the glasses can capture 400 facial images per second and send them to a central computer database storing up to 13 million faces. The system can compare biometric data at 46,000 points on a face and will immediately signal any matches to known criminals or people wanted by police. If there is a match a red signal will appear on a small screen connected to the glasses, alerting the police officer of the need to take further action or make an arrest.”
How politicians clean up
“Researchers at Cornell University have found that a subtle psychological manipulation can have statistically significant political effects,” The Boston Globe says. “Simply being in the presence of a hand sanitizer or a small sign about using hand wipes was enough to make people more conservative morally, socially and fiscally. So liberals should be nervous any time they see cleanliness paraphernalia in polling stations.” The study appears in the journal Psychological Science.
You going to be all day?
“It’s a porcelain throne fit for a queen,” The Huffington Post says. “Numi, Kohler’s ‘smart toilet’ set to debut at the end of the month, brings a new level of luxury to the lavatory. The opulent appliance features hands-free motion sensors that open and close the lid, embedded deodorizers, a heated seat and foot warming system and even built-in speakers with pre-programmed radio stations. And the whole thing is controlled by a detachable remote.”
Thought du jour
“For the most part, I do the thing which my own nature prompts me to do. It is embarrassing to earn so much respect and love for it.”
– Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
