Perfection Perception

It’s hard to be a millennial—when you’re a millennial? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Overachievers. O-C-D. Helicopter parents. Buzz words, sure, but are these tied to real phenomena? Enter researchers from the U-K, Thomas Curran and Andrew Hill. They compiled over one-hundred-and-fifty studies from

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Anger Management

What! Can we now find tattoos on nice people? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Tattoos used to be associated with rebellious behavior: Sailors on leave, ex-cons, biker gangs looking for trouble. But now it seems every third sorority girl has a unicorn on her

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Nervous Nellies

Got a nervous habit? Maybe you’re a perfectionist! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Nail biting. Skin picking. Hair pulling. These are all examples of body-focused repetitive disorders—or BFRDs for short. Are they just nervous habits? Canadian researchers think not. They believe BFRDs are

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Gettin’ Hangry

Introducing hanger. Part hunger, part anger, let’s party! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: You know what I’m talking about. Now, don’t get hangry with me. Point is, it’s hard to be nice when your stomach is growling. Why? A dietician at Texas A&M

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Freud’s Way

Got a problem? Ask yourself: What would Sigmund Freud say? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. We often listen to our gut when making decisions. Well, according to Spanish researchers, Sigmund Freud’s gut trumps our own. Sort of. The researchers used virtual reality for an

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Your Cheatin’ Hormones

Can our hormones make us cheaters? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Most discussions about cheating focus on ethics. But psychologist Robert Josephs, of the University of Texas at Austin, wondered: Are hormones involved? Because goodness knows hormones impact other decisions. If you know what

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50 Shades of Yellow

A rose is a rose is a rose, right? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying: Except when it’s yellow! Roses aside, University of York researchers have discovered something very strange about that color. People’s perception of it changes from winter to summer! As part

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Love in a Bottle

Will you marry me… AND my love for Pepsi? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Before popping the question, consider how compatible you are with that special someone. Think: similar backgrounds, values, or religion. But Coke over Pepsi – deal-breaker? Researchers from Duke University examined

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Virtually Sexist

Are sexist men less evolved? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Meet biologist Michael Kasumovic. He studies evolution in various contexts. Like online. For example, when male gamers, hiding behind Internet anonymity, harass female gamers. Kasumovic’s team participated anonymously in the multiplayer shoot-em-up game, Halo-Three.

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Man Flu

Sure, women know the pain of giving birth, but they’ve never been stricken by the Man Flu! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Say you, or someone you love, is bedridden with a cold. Completely debilitated. It’s a condition affectionately called the “man flu.” Are

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