Science News

Why did the proverbial Good Samaritan cross the road to help the injured stranger? Perhaps he listened to his heart. Not in the poetic sense, but literally. A new study by Jun Gu and his colleagues has highlighted the way cardiac feedback influences people's moral decisions. When students were fed false feedback, leading them to think their heart was racing, they were more likely to volunteer for a good cause and less likely to lie to gain more money.

New findings indicate that the ages at which people enjoy the life the most are nine and 68.

Men under psychological stress prefer heavier, fuller-figured women over thinner women, a new study has revealed.

It's not the chemical content of alcohol that makes us think we're more attractive, it's merely the belief that we're drunk that inflates our self-perceived appeal (up to a point - in fact the average self-judged attractiveness rating for the group who though they'd had alcohol still wasn't that high).

More about DRUNK: http://www.scoop.it/t/science-news?tag=drunk

The symptoms include uncontrollable screaming, swooning and spending hours on Twitter and Facebook. It primarily affects preteen and teen girls, yet it is highly contagious and can infect mothers, too. In severe cases, sufferers camp out on sidewalks for days. “The appeal for me is, of course, that he’s beautiful,” says 15-year-old Emma Reeves of Madison, Conn., who has seen Justin Bieber twice in concert. “By disease standards, “Bieber Fever” is approaching a global pandemic with the release of the 18-year-old pop star’s latest album, “Believe,” last week.

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have conducted a study associatingovereating and cocaine addiction, but its conclusion is not the one you may expect.

We’re always looking for the mythical silver bullet that will tell us how to know what juror is worst (and best) for our case. But really? Shoes? There are first impressions and then there are those things we assume about you when we look at your shoes.

Scientists may have figured out the mystery of falling head over heels and why love can make even the most levelheaded of people giddy, foolish and ridiculous.

When people consume information in a difficult-to-read font, they are likely to form a more moderate opinion of the information they have read, suggests a study just published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

The color red has long been associated with power, but why?

American megachurches use stagecraft, sensory pageantry, charismatic leadership and an upbeat, unchallenging vision of Christianity to provide their congregants with a powerful emotional religious experience..

New software developed for Microsoft's workplace social network, Yammer, can gauge the emotions of employees using the network by analyzing the messages they sent through it.

Pretending that you find someone attractive increases your susceptibility to their charms and heightens your chances of truly falling in love with them, according to new relationship research.

More on ATTRACTION: http://www.scoop.it/t/science-news?tag=attraction

Just the thought of a glass of wine could be enough to help you relax because of the power of positive thinking, scientists have claimed.

Beer drinkers are more likely to have sex on the first date, according to new statistics.

We’ve read about aggressive men with thick necks and wide faces. We often suspect them of being violent thugs. Some, more charitably, might opine they are simply more confident and assertive. Or maybe weight-lifters. New research says they are also likely liars and cheaters. Seriously?