Science News for Writers

Credit: Neuron, Bhanji et al . The ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex displayed greater decreases in activity for controllable compared with uncontrollable setbacks. S ometimes when people get upsetting news -- such as a failing exam grade or a negative job review ( or having a book or article rejected ) -- they decide instantly to do better the next time. In other situations that are equally disappointing, the same people may feel inclined to just give up. How can similar setbacks produce such different reactions? It may come down to how much control we feel we have over what happened, according to new research from Rutgers University-Newark. The study, published in the journal Neuron, also finds that when these setbacks occur, the level of control we perceive may even determine which of two distinct parts of the brain will handle the crisis. "Think of the student who failed an exam," says Jamil Bhanji, a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers and one ...

Credit: Jayne Wilkins, Benjamin Schoville, Kyle Brown. Spears were carefully constructed for controlled experiments to determine why our ancestors invested so much time in making stone spear points when they stab no deeper than a sharpened and hardened wooden tip. Writing believable fiction requires having your background facts straight and developing a basic understanding of how they lived and why they did they things the did to survive.   If your character in a pre-history novel lives in a hunter-gatherer society, you know that these people didn't do anything unless is paid an immediate reward.  For thousands of years our ancestors did quite well hunting even the largest animals with sharpened, fire-hardened spear points.  Rarely did they kill an animal with one direct thrust.  Usually, after wounding an animal, hunters would track it while it bled out, weakening it until it either collapsed and died or they could swoop in for the finish. H...

Credit: © CGinspiration / Fotolia MRI head scan (stock image). "Our findings are crucial in that they help  identify potential brain biomarkers that, when taken into context with  behavioral differences, may help identify which adolescents are at  risk for dangerous and pathological behaviors in the future." The old Nurture or Nature debate is making a course change in favor of nature. It appears that a significant part of our behavior is programmed into us genetically such as a belief in a supreme being, conservative and liberal preferences, and more. Yet, we're still in the early days of the scientific revolution.  As has been pointed out many times by many people, of all the scientists who have ever lived or worked almost all are living and working today.  The wealth of knowledge we're gaining now is just the leading edge of a tidal wave that will completely change the way we live over the next few generations. Getting back to ...

The success of the book Fifty Shades of Grey is something of a mixed achievement in the eyes of most serious writers despite the tremendous sales and being optioned for a movie -- every author's dream. Most writers covet the success, but shudder at the poor workmanship of the books.  For a serious writer, who does all he or she can to write with skill, this success is a little bewildering and certainly frustrating.  Personally, I've  not been able to read much because of the sloppy work and find it to be an embarrassment and a challenge.   What is most concerning is the blatant underlying mysogyny of the work.  These books showcase an overt sexism that is alarming, reinforcing the observation that mysogynistic women are attracted to sexist men.  Here's a link to an earlier post on this subject:   Men with negative, sexist attitudes towards  women use assertive courtship strategies But what about the effects Fifty Shades has on readers...

Credit: Stephen Nowicki Students in the study looked at photos and were tested on their ability to recognize the emotions of those pictured. Much research has been published in the past year about the effect of video games and social media on children and adults.  Some of our worst fears, especially that violent video games make people more violent, have been calmed, but there still is an effect.  This research documents a new concern, that using social media lessens out ability to read emotions and relate to others.  According to this research, we should be concerned as social media does have an impact on people based on the results of a study of a group of sixth grade students. Here's the report. I n our digital world, are young people losing the ability to read emotions? Are young people losing the ability to read emotions in our digital world? Scientists report that sixth-graders who went five days without even glancing at a smartphone, televi...

Source: jacksonfreepress.com In many cases the more religious someone is, the more aggressive they become after drinking alcohol . O ften, research findings reflect the scientist's and the public's expectations. Sometimes, they come close. Other times,   research results simply astound everyone.   Case in point is the recent research of Professor Peter R. Giancola of the psychology department of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. He, and his former graduate student, Aaron Duke, have found an unexpected relation between spiritual beliefs, alcohol consumption and violence. " Oversimplifying -- in many cases the more religious someone is, the more aggressive they will become after drinking alcohol ," Giancola said. The researcher defined religiosity as someone who "finds meaning in the sacred," regardless of the doctrine they follow. Pointing out that his findings are preliminary and require more study, Giancola...

 Source: theguardian.com   As a writer, part of our job is to accurately describe the world around us as well as how people think, react and live.  Not only is the changing demographic of the country important to understand, how these changes effect individuals and groups will help any author or screenwriter develop plot and character. F acing the prospect of racial minority groups becoming the overall majority in the United States leads white Americans to lean more toward the conservative end of the political spectrum, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings suggest that increased diversity in the United States could actually lead to a wider partisan divide, with more White Americans expressing support for conservative policies. Psychological scientists Maureen Craig and Jennifer Richeson of Northwestern University noticed a substantial amount of media attention when p...

  Credit: iStockphoto/Steve Greer   Individuals who call themselves liberal tend to have larger anterior cingulate cortexes, while those who call themselves conservative have larger amygdalas. Based on what is known about the functions of those two brain regions, the structural differences are consistent with reports showing a greater ability of liberals to cope with conflicting information and a greater ability of conservatives to recognize a threat. W e all know that people at opposite ends of the political spectrum often really can't see eye to eye. Now, researchers reveal that those differences in political orientation are tied to differences in the very structures of our brains.  Liberals tend to have larger anterior cingulate cortexes, Conservatives tend to have larger amygdalas   Individuals who call themselves liberal tend to have larger anterior cingulate cortexes , while those who call themselves conservative have larger amygd...

Hemingway stood while writing.  So many others walked to think through story lines, literally writing in their minds before heading back to their desks to put it on paper.  Now science reveals that writing while walking is more creative and healthier . C ardiologists have found that sedentary behaviors lowers cardiorespiratory fitness levels. New evidence suggests that two hours of sedentary behavior can be just as harmful as 20 minutes of exercise is beneficial.   The study, published in today's online edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, examined the association between fitness levels, daily exercise, and sedentary behavior, based on data from 2,223 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Sedentary behavior involves low levels of energy expenditure activities such as sitting, driving, watching television, and reading, among others. The findings suggest that sedentary behavior may be an important determinant of cardior...

www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com This research, while obvious in its conclusions, offers an interesting insight into the dynamics of relationships between men and women.  For Romance authors, especially, this explains why so many women find it so difficult to find a "nice" guy.  Well, nice guys get screened out by the misogynists of society, even though their primary target are women who could be classified misogynists as well. Guys, if you're wondering why women tend to gravitate toward jerks?  It's because the jerks are so much more aggressive in their courtship, working to screen you out of developing any sort of a relationship with a woman. Make sense?  Here's the story: M en with a preference for 'one-night stands' and negative sexist attitudes towards women are more likely to use aggressive courtship strategies. They compete with other men who are also interested in the woman, tease the woman, and isolate her away from her friends. In respon...

Credit: © cristovao31 / Fotolia The Elias lab has shown that pigmented skin provides a better skin barrier, which was critically important for protection against dehydration. You're writing a story about the migration of ancient humans into Europe.  As always, you need crisis as a way of furthering the story.  Here's one, minor though it may seem:  On the trip, members of your band with dark skin are much more likely to die of dehydration than members with a lighter skin tone. Really?  Sure.  Read the following which debunks the Vitamin D theory of why people with lighter colored skin survived as they followed the glaciers north after the last Ice Age.  T he popular idea that Northern Europeans developed light skin to absorb more UV light so they could make more vitamin D – vital for healthy bones and immune function – is questioned by UC San Francisco researchers in a new study published online in the journal Evolutionary Biology. ...

www.empower2themax.com.au H ere's a story ready for the writing. Okay, yes, it's been done, but if you're looking for something meaty to sink your creative teeth into, think about this.  How do people who dislike themselves react when you try to cheer them up?  When you put a positive spin on their lives?  They ignore you, right? This study suggests that you may want to rethink cheering up your friends who have low self-esteem because, they don't want to hear it.  It's not that they're happy the way they feel about themselves.  It's that they only hear things that confirm their opinion of themselves. People with low self-esteem have overly negative views of themselves, and often interpret critical feedback, romantic rejections, or unsuccessful job applications as evidence of their general unworthiness. On top of this, researchers at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University found that this person likely doesn't want you to t...

www.npr.org   Clint Dempsey scored Team USA's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2014 Group G preliminary match against Ghana. Well, maybe not an expert, but by reading these five short stories you will be much better prepared to hold your own in our quaternary obsession with Futbol!   GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL! FIFA World cup qualification: is it a fair game? FIFA has 208 member football associations from around the world all clamoring to qualify for each World Cup tournament and reap the massive $8 million appearance fee as well as further windfalls and lucrative merchandising revenues. With fierce competition for qualification, is FIFA allocating the 32 places fairly or are processes biased by finances and politics? New research, published in the journal Soccer & Society, suggests that a more transparent allocation processes is urgently required. Without this, experts at Canada's Sprott School of Business argue, FIFA will be open to the accusation it is more con...