Thursday, 9 February, 2012

Sick of the scare stories about holiday stress? Over-eating, over-this, over-that? What’s the upside of holidays, in terms of ritual and getting together with family and friends? What’s more conducive to happiness: giving or receiving?

How do victims of domestic violence benefit from prayer? A series of interviews shows a range of mechanisms: from zoning out to offering psychic protection to allowing forgiveness. A new study shows how real benefits could emerge from an appeal to an “imaginary other.”

Heard the rumor that people are happy — or not — depending on their genes and upbringing? “My bad,” says a 24-year study from Germany, which finds the opposite. Attitudes toward money, employment and neurotic mates all play a big role resetting your “happo-stat.”

The psychedelic ’60s are over, but how do hallucinogens transform consciousness? Can psychedelics treat distress? Psilocybin produces mystical experiences that seem to relieve the terror of terminal illness and soothe post-traumatic stress disorder. Ecstasy may ease obsessive-compulsive disorder. What are we learning now that the bans on psychedelic research are easing?

For some people, laughter is a threat, conveying anger, disapproval and humiliation. In the strange world of the gelotophobe, laughter can actually make you feel worse. If you fear laughter, you tend to stay away from crowds, groups, restaurants — and the pranksters afoot on April Fools’ Day.

Can our evolutionary roots explain that self-destructive search for sex – and sexual companionship? Could Darwinian psychology constitute the cause home-wrecking, career-blitzing fatal attractions?

Less carnage than last time, but why do mass killers pull the trigger? What are the warning signs of “rampage” shootings?

Study finds that male body odor is harder to mask, but the male nose is more easily confused. Info lends insight into human mating, and helps perfume makers. So what’s in your deodorant?

We explore the sad saga of pet primates. Are these pets psychologically good for us? For them? Are humans and other primates trading diseases at home, and in the wild?

Disgust caused by filthy food, feces, and an unfair deal all trigger the same facial expression. So is our moral disgust the same as the primitive disgust caused by toxic food?