Guilty Pleasures

Hark! Is that the ice cream truck I hear? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Trips are fun — but guilt trips are not! Guilt shapes much of our actions, for better or worse. But can we control those guilty feelings? Kristen Duke and On

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Lone Phone

All by myself….! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Being a teenager has always been challenging! My flashbacks to middle school are scary enough! But apparently now it’s becoming even harder. Many teens today report feeling lonelier than previous generations did!  But WHY? Jean Twengea

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Schrödinger’s Robber

Sure I’ll give you half my candy bar. But I’m NOT sharing with the whole carpool! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, where do YOU fall on the selfishness meter? Carlos Alós-Ferrer, from the University of Zurich in Switzerland wanted to find out. He

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Ad-itude

That purse speaks to you. Those shoes are calling your name! How does Instagram know the EXACT way to your wallet?? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Marketing departments throw ads at us with pinpoint accuracy. But can we sniff out WHICH ads are targeted

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Outsider’s Tragedy

What’s not out about being IN? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Someone got a flat tire on the highway – poor guy! You would definitely stop to help a friend, but hesitate when it’s a stranger… why? Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal from UC Berkeley and

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Spread with a Kiss

Lovey, give us a kiss then!   This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.   Kissing can be a beautiful expression of love. But kissing also has an uglier side: spreading disease! So, what can kissing tell us about epidemiology?   Enter Troels Arbøll and Sophie

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Dangerously Delicious

  Are junk foods HIJACKING your brain!?  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Junk food can be irresistible. But are we BORN with this preference, or is it something we LEARN?  Sharmili Thanarajah from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research and team investigated.  Researchers

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Selfie Love

Say cheese!  This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying, taking pictures has never FELT this good! Breakfast selfie, outfit selfie… They are EVERYWHERE! Selfies are a popular way to capture and share moments. But could they also have a psychological component? Richard Eibach from the

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The Power of Language

Words can change your mind… literally! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Language is a huge part of human development. But can the language we speak physically affect our brains?  Xuehu Wei and team at the Planck Institute in Germany wondered. They compared brain scans

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Spun Out

Ring around the rosyyy… This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember spinning around the playground as a kid til you felt like hurling–or maybe did!?? It turns out many other primates like to spin too! What makes this silly, dizzying pastime so much fun? Adriano

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