PODCAST · science
60-Second Mind
by Scientific American
Tune in every Saturday for quick commentary on the latest news in behavior and brain research—it'll just take a minute
Episodes
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Up Your Online Dating Game with Evidence-Based Strategies
Choosing a user name starting with a letter appearing earlier in the alphabet is just one scientifically vetted way to increase the odds of turning an online encounter into a first date. Christopher Intagliata reports
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Junk Diet Rewires Rat Brains
High-calorie and exceedingly pleasurable foods appear to change rat brain rewards circuitry, causing the rodents to continue to seek such fare. Erika Beras reports
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High Price Tag on Meds May Boost Healing
Parkinson’s patients derived more benefits from a salt solution they were told was an expensive drug than from the same solution when it was described as being cheap medication. Karen Hopkin reports
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Publication Bias May Boost Findings for Bilingual Brain Benefits
Of studies presented at conferences, those that found a cognitive benefit to bilingualism were almost twice as likely to get published in journals as were studies finding no benefit. Karen Hopkin reports
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Inclusion Illusion Lessens Racial Bias
Implicit bias against another race lessened after volunteers experienced themselves via virtual reality as a member of that race. Karen Hopkin reports
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Blood Test Forecasts Concussion Severity
Levels of a protein fragment in the blood paralleled how long head injuries benched hockey players. Ingrid Wickelgren reports
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Bouncy Gait Improves Mood
If you're in an up mood, you may walk more energetically. But a study finds that purposefully walking more energetically may improve your mood. Christie Nicholson reports
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Synchronized Walking Reduces Opponent's Perceived Size
Subjects who kept pace with a walking colleague estimated a potential enemy to be smaller and lighter than did other walkers who were not marching. Karen Hopkin reports
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Big Parental Control May Stunt Kid Assertiveness
Young adults who’d had highly controlling parents were less able to stress their own viewpoints to a friend or partner in confident and productive ways. Daisy Yuhas reports
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Lots or Little Sleep Linked to Sick Days
Absence from work due to illness increased dramatically for those who slept less than six hours or more than nine hours per night. Christie Nicholson reports
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Can’t Take My Eyes off You—Your Face, That Is
The direction of your gaze when looking at someone offers an unconscious, automatic giveaway of whether your initial reaction is romance or sex. Christie Nicholson reports
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Talking to Strangers Makes You Happy
People who had to strike up conversations on a subway later reported feeling happier than those who didn’t. Christie Nicholson reports.
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People Think Experiences Bring Happiness, Still Opt for Things
Survey subjects rated life experiences as making them happier and as a better use of money than buying objects. But they actually spent their cash on material goods, whose value is more easily quantifiable. Erika Beras reports
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Childhood Stress Decreases Size of Brain Regions
Children who experience neglect, abuse and/or poverty can have smaller amygdalas and hippocampuses, brain regions involved in emotion and memory, compared with kids raised in nurturing environments. Christie Nicholson reports
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Even Monkeys Believe In Hot Streaks
Monkeys trained to play fixed video games made moves indicating that they expected certain patterns to occur. Erika Beras reports
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Brain State Bread Crumbs Lead Way Back to Consciousness
Researchers studying anesthetized rats discovered a handful of activity patterns that may mark the path to consciousness after anesthesia. Karen Hopkin reports
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Body's Pain Perception Mapped for First Time
Our ability to pinpoint pain varies across the body, and in a specific pattern. Christie Nicholson reports
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Vision Involves a Bit of Hearing, Too
Researchers could tell what sounds blindfolded volunters were hearing by analyzing activity in their visual cortexes. Christie Nicholson reports
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Parents Who Support Corporal Punishment Do It a Lot
Thirty-three families allowed themselves to be recorded for up to six nights. Parents who said they supported corporal punishment did it often and with little provocation. Christie Nicholson reports
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Extroversion Extends Benefits across Cultures
In a study covering five different countries, subjects reported feeling best on the days when they practiced what are considered extroverted actions. Christie Nicholson reports
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Eaters Assume Crunchy Foods Have Fewer Calories
Food’s texture in your mouth—also called “mouthfeel” or “oral haptics”—influences estimates of calorie counts. And people might eat more crunchy stuff assuming (often incorrectly) it has fewer calories than softer fare. Christie Nicholson reports
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Stressed Teens May Be Better Drivers
Teenage drivers who have a high sensitivity to stress actually have lower rates of car accidents than their more mellow friends. Christie Nicholson reports
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Mobile Phones Exert Emotional Pull
What's being called "nomophobia," the anxiety of not having your mobile phone with you, may be a real condition among teens, at least according to two recent studies out of South Korea, the world’s most connected nation. Larry Greenemeier reports
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Barbie Exposure May Limit Girls' Career Imagination
Girls who played with dolls were then asked about future careers. Those who played with Barbie more likely to envision traditional pink-collar jobs than were girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head. Erika Beras reports
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Kids Books May Cause Confusion about Animals
Children who heard descriptions of animals behaving like humans were less likely to attribute to a real animal a newly learned biological fact than were kids who heard realistic information. Christie Nicholson reports
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Danger Explainers Convince Kids Better Than Do Edict Issuers
Moms were better able to sway a child's perception of risk when they explained the reasons an activity was dangerous and its possible consequences rather than just saying no. Christie Nicholson reports
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Youth Gang Membership Affects Mental Health Later in Life
Adults who had been members of gangs in their adolescence had poorer outcomes on a variety of measures, including physical and mental health, than those who'd never been in a gang. Christie Nicholson reports
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Infants Use Verbs They Know to Learn New Nouns
Babies learning speech figure out what an object is by listening to others talk about what that object does. Christie Nicholson reports
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Your Memory May Be Edited
Recent and easily retrievable information can overwrite the details of memories, thus altering them in your mind. Christie Nicholson reports
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Young Musicians Reap Long-Term Neuro Benefits
People who played instruments as children responded a bit quicker to complex speech sounds as adults, even if they had not played an instrument in many years. Erika Beras reports
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Movie-Watching Together Strengthens Marriages
Psychologists found that encouraging newlywed couples to watch romance flicks, and then discuss them cut the three-year divorce rate in half. Christie Nicholson reports
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Review Finds Meditation Somewhat Effective against Anxiety and Depression
A meta-analysis of 47 previously published studies concludes that there's moderate evidence for meditation offering some relief of anxiety and depression, and low or insufficient evidence for effects on other conditions. Christie Nicholson reports
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Brain-Training Games May Not Improve Overall Intelligence
Brain-training games seem to temporarily improve specific tasks, but claims that they can improve overall brain function have yet to be proved. Christie Nicholson reports
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How Computers Affect Our Movements
Computer-use affects the brain's ability to generalize the skill of moving a mouse. Christie Nicholson reports
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"Angelina Jolie Effect" Leaves Public with Inaccurate Knowledge of Breast Cancer Risk
A survey of 2500 Americans finds that despite many knowing about Jolie's preventive double mastectomy, most remain in the dark about breast cancer risk. Christie Nicholson reports
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Test Prep Doesn't Help Raise Intelligence Scores
Scores on standardized tests may go up but a student's ability for abstract and logical thinking may not improve. Christie Nicholson reports
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We Are More Likely to Lie in the Afternoon
If you want to catch someone in a lie, you'll raise your odds in the afternoons, as most people are more likely to cheat or lie then as opposed to the morning. Christie Nicholson reports
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Overeating Due to Stress?
If you over-eat or under-eat as a reaction to stress, don't worry, your body may compensate to balance you over time. Christie Nicholson reports
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Seeing Photos of Food Makes Actual Food Less Tasty
Looking at photos of food can lead us to become bored with other similar foods. Christie Nicholson reports
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Reducing a Fear During Sleep
Exposure to a fearful memory while in deep sleep may help reduce the fear. Christie Nicholson reports
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Generosity Can Breed Contempt
In a group experiment, members who donated the least and the most to the community were both ostracized. Amy Kraft reports
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Babies Know Animals Have Gushy Insides
It appears we might be born with the knowledge that living things have insides and are not hollow. Christie Nicholson reports
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When to Catch a Lie via Text
A recent experiment finds that when people are about to lie via digital text they take longer to construct their words. Christie Nicholson reports
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We Probably Won't Recycle Shredded Paper
Turns out that if we think something looks like trash then we probably won't bother recycling it. Christie Nicholson reports
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Limit Youth Football Practice Hits For Brain Health
Changes in youth football practices cut total hits to the head in half, while leaving game situations unaffected. Ingrid Wickelgren reports.
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Portion-Size Label Influences Ingestion Intake
People ate less of a portion of food if it was labeled "double-size" rather than "regular." Karen Hopkin reports
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Social Status Affects Who We Choose to Believe
When it comes to news or political statements, the more powerful the speaker the more we are likely to believe them. Christie Nicholson reports
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Happiness During Teen Years Predicts Happiness as Adults
A survey of thousands finds that our mood during the young adult years is a good predictor of later happiness in retirement. Christie Nicholson reports
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What Fighting Couples Want
Fighting couples don't want an apology, but rather for one partner to relinquish power. Christie Nicholson reports
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Expansive Postures May Lead Us to Dishonesty
A study finds that large, expansive body postures may influence people's honesty. Christie Nicholson reports
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Tune in every Saturday for quick commentary on the latest news in behavior and brain research—it'll just take a minute
HOSTED BY
Scientific American
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does 60-Second Mind have?
60-Second Mind currently has 334 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is 60-Second Mind about?
Tune in every Saturday for quick commentary on the latest news in behavior and brain research—it'll just take a minute
How often does 60-Second Mind release new episodes?
60-Second Mind publishes regularly with 334 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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Who hosts 60-Second Mind?
60-Second Mind is created and hosted by Scientific American.
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