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Annika Finne Investigates a Modigliani

By Guest PostMay 28, 2012Culture, Educationannika finne, authenticated modigliani portraits, authenticity investigation, authenticity of modigliani, modigliani portraits

Annika Finne, senior and aspiring conservator, jumped at the chance to investigate the authenticity of a Modigliani painting stored in the archives of the RISD Museum of Art. What followed was a year-long journey of research and discovery and a senior thesis that, Finne hopes, will secure the painting’s place in art history.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — To the causal observer, the painting is most striking in its simplicity: a two-dimensional image of a woman, her face elongated, head slightly tilted, the background giving away little of her surroundings, the parameters devoid of a signature identifiying the artist. (more…)

The Heart Rules the Head When We Make Financial Decisions

By Guest PostMay 27, 2012Culture, Economybarney dunn, decision, economic perspective, economic self interest, evidence, financial offer, financial sector, gut feelings, gut reaction, heart rate, lead researcher, pension schemes, psychological test, rational thought, ultimatum game, university of exeter

Our ‘gut feelings’ influence our decisions, overriding ‘rational’ thought, when we are faced with financial offers that we deem to be unfair, according to a new study. Even when we are set to benefit, our physical response can make us more likely to reject a financial proposition we consider to be unjust.

Conducted by a team from the University of Exeter, Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and University of Cambridge, the research is published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioural Neuroscience.

The research adds to growing evidence that our bodies can sometimes govern how we think and feel, rather than the other way round. It also reveals that those people who are more in tune with their bodies are more likely to be led by their ‘gut feelings’. (more…)

Clergy can fight HIV on faith-friendly terms

By Guest PostMay 20, 2012Culture, Healthafrican american, african american clergy, aids epidemic, amy nunn, black americans, black clergy, blacks, brown university, hiv, hiv infection, hiv prevention, michelle lally, miriam hospital, philadelphia, sex, sexuality, tim flanigan, united states

In the United States, where blacks bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, black religious institutions could help turn the tide. In a new study in PLoS ONE based on dozens of interviews and focus groups with 38 of Philadelphia’s most influential black clergy, physicians and public health researchers find that traditional barriers to preaching about HIV prevention could give way to faith-friendly messages about getting tested and staying on treatment.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The public health community has long struggled with how best to reduce HIV infection rates among black Americans, which is seven times that of whites. In a new paper in the journal PLoS ONE, a team of physicians and public health researchers report that African-American clergy say they are ready to join the fight against the disease by focusing on HIV testing, treatment, and social justice, a strategy that is compatible with religious teaching. (more…)

“Losing Yourself” in A Fictional Character Can Affect Your Real Life

By Guest PostMay 9, 2012Culture, Generalelection day, experiment, fictional character, gay early story, gay late narrative, geoff kaufman, lisa libby, lose yourself, ohio state university, self concept, self identity, sexual orientation, stereotype

COLUMBUS, Ohio – When you “lose yourself” inside the world of a fictional character while reading a story, you may actually end up changing your own behavior and thoughts to match that of the character, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Ohio State University examined what happened to people who, while reading a fictional story, found themselves feeling the emotions, thoughts, beliefs and internal responses of one of the characters as if they were their own – a phenomenon the researchers call “experience-taking.” (more…)

Happiness Model Developed by MU Researcher Could Help People Go From Good to Great

By Guest PostMay 8, 2012Culture, Healthhappiness, happiness model, kennon sheldon, miserable, model, positive life, psychological basis, romantic relationship, sonja lyubomirsky, spice of life

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The sayings “variety is the spice of life” and “happiness isn’t getting what you want, but wanting what you get” seem to have a psychological basis, according to a new study by an MU psychologist who identified two keys to becoming happier and staying that way.

“Although the Declaration of Independence upholds the right to pursue happiness, that search can be a never-ending quest,” said Kennon Sheldon, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “Previous research shows that an individual’s happiness can increase after major life changes, such as starting a new romantic relationship, but over time happiness tends to return to a previous level. Through our research, we developed a model to help people maintain higher levels of happiness derived from beneficial changes. The model consists of two major components: the need to keep having new and positive life-changing experiences and the need to keep appreciating what you already have and not want more too soon.” (more…)

Daniel Block and The ‘Feel of Not to Feel It’

By Guest PostMay 6, 2012Culturebaby boomers, british romantic era, british romantic writers, daniel block, emotion, emotional energy, evocative history, feel, french revolution, generation x, historical feeling, history channel, keats, melancholia, millennial generation, napoleonic wars, past, political life, pragmatic, romantic poets, romanticism, wordsworth

The History Channel and other outlets insist that knowing about the past is not enough: It must come alive and we must feel it. But are our emotions and sentiments a reliable guide to historical understanding? Daniel Block finds that Wordsworth, Keats, and other British Romantic writers may have something new to offer about the use and value of our affective experience.

It is certainly familiar turf for Baby Boomers, this persistent effort to figure out the ’60s or ’70s. Can history be parsed — actual occurrences considered apart from emotion-laden memories? And can a reliable picture of the whole be teased out, something that might be enriching, informative, or useful?

Daniel Block has been studying writers of the British Romantic era — the poets Keats and Wordsworth, the historical novelist Walter Scott and others. It’s a great, rich body of writing that speaks to the formation of historical feeling. (more…)

The Bright Side of Death: Awareness of Mortality Can Result in Positive Behaviors, Say MU Researchers

By Guest PostApril 30, 2012Culture, Sciencealtruism, catastrophe, climate change, control topic, death, disaster, discrimination, divorce rate, global threat, jamie arndt, ken vail, monty python, morose despondency, mortality, muslim, negative behavior, negative effect, news media, oklahoma city bombing, peaceful, terrorism, terrorist attack, university of missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Contemplating death doesn’t necessarily lead to morose despondency, fear, aggression or other negative behaviors, as previous research has suggested. Following a review of dozens of studies, University of Missouri researchers found that thoughts of mortality can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism and helpfulness, and reduced divorce rates.

“According to terror management theory, people deal with their awareness of mortality by upholding cultural beliefs and seeking to become part of something larger and more enduring than themselves, such as nations or religions,” said Jamie Arndt, study co-author and professor of psychological sciences. “Depending on how that manifests itself, positive outcomes can be the result.” (more…)

Study Shows That, In Restaurants, Race Matters

By Guest PostApril 25, 2012Culture, Generalafrican american, anti black perception, customer, discrimination, inferior service, race, restaurant, sarah rusche, tableside racism, united states, zachary brewster

A new study from North Carolina State University shows that more than one-third of restaurant servers discriminate against African-American customers.

“Many people believe that race is no longer a significant issue in the United States,” says Sarah Rusche, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the study. “But the fact that a third of servers admit to varying their quality of service based on customers’ race, often giving African-Americans inferior service, shows that race continues to be an issue in our society.” (more…)

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