mind over matter

First of all, I would like for you to note that I am writing about a story dated February 1, 2008. That’s right, folks, I am living in the future. Think about that for a second.
In tomorrow’s news, scratching feels good because it pacifies the area of the brain associated with unpleasant or aversive memories […]

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Whoa. Scientists, probing around in a man’s deep brain tissue, unexpectedly triggered a sense of déjà vu and a super-vivid personal memory. You can read the article here.
While they were identifying potential appetite suppressant sites in the hypothalamus by stimulating electrode contacts that had been implanted there, the patient suddenly experienced a feeling of ‘déjà […]

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Bad news for people who love “Good News for People who Love Bad News” (and O.A.R. and Umphrey’s McGee and Phish and probably even Dave Matthew’s Band…): Research suggests that withdrawal from heavy marijuana use is similar to cigarette withdrawal. Lame, bruh. So lame.
Since the drafting of the DSM-IV in 1994, an increasing number of studies […]

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Now for your Daily Dose of Disturbing: a recent article in the New York Times explained that the FDA is asking drug manufacturers to watch for suicide as a possible side effect in clinical trials. A little history:
The seeds for the new federal effort were planted four years ago with the discovery that antidepressants may cause […]

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Surely you’ve seen the previews by now. In Moment of Truth, normal, nice-seeming Americans volunteer themselves for the “hot seat” - answering increasingly personal questions for cash while friends and family members look on. If the polygraph suggests a lie, the contestant loses all his or her winnings, and wins a very, very uncomfortable ride home. […]

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There was a nice little article on the psychology of clutter in the Denver Post yesterday. By getting into the mental-disorder element of hanging on to stuff (and thus creating clutter), the article touched on but didn’t name the concept of hoarding. According to a WebMD article, compulsive hoarders can’t make decisions about items’ worth and […]

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In another excellent use of government money (no, seriously - I wish that were sarcasm, but sometimes we need to prove the obvious - remember this guy?), two studies in January’s Journal of Developmental Psychology say that homosexual relationships are just as healthy and secure as heterosexual ones.
I know, !!!, right? Next they’re going to tell us that committed […]

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I’m going to go ahead and barrel into the elephant in the room: Heath Ledger died in his SoHo apartment today, and a drug overdose may have been the cause. He was 28.
Nevermind that I used to date a guy who lives on the very same block, and evidently I’ve walked past Heath Ledger’s apartment many […]

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New York Times health columnist Dr. Richard Friedman, age 51, recently wrote an article chalking up the so-called midlife crisis to narcissism and the natural pursuit of novelty. After describing several cases of Nascar Dads Behaving Badly, Friedman suggests that the mid-life crisis is not exactly a common experience, but rather what happens when already-narcissistic […]

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Alright, I could only put off talking about cra’y-cra’y Brit-Brit and Dr. Phil for so long. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about this celebrity showdown, but just to bring you up to speed: After Britney was restrained and rushed to a hospital, her fam called on Dr. Phil and asked […]

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