The old 5 1/4” floppy disks (surely no 8” ones!) at the back of your cupboard probably contain little of value. But others may wel hold unique historical data. Thankfully, an archivist is trying to preserve what’s on these decaying floppies: buff.ly/o7zU5x5

Sleep duration is an important factor in preserving your mental health. But it’s not the only one. A regular sleep pattern is also key to keep depressing and anxiety at bay, research suggests: buff.ly/FP4bHhf

Overconfidence is not just a human tendency. LLMs are afflicted too. Not just because they’re trained on human content (reflecting the human bias)—the training itself tends to amplify overconfidence. And human users are too confident LLM is right: buff.ly/N7MAF6Y

Anomalous Health Incidents—colloquially known as the Havanna Syndrome—has been making the news again. Are we any closer to finding out exactly what it is/was? Sabine @hossenfelder.bsky.social looks at recent reporting and discovers an unexpected effect: youtu.be/Rd1eeiHwvLQ

Research by Yelbuz & Thielmann suggests this selectivity is associated with •dark personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy) •RW authoritarianism •social dominance buff.ly/79zMpGe

A weird case of pluralistic ignorance—most people say they feel rather happy or very happy, but everyone thinks most other people are miserable. Tim Harford suspects there is something going on: buff.ly/g7TnscU

Blogged: The Unlearnable Song We possess an exceedingly powerful information processing and learning capability—fine tuned to spot cues, recognize patterns and act accordingly in no time. But when there are no patterns to recognize in the cues—we are lost: buff.ly/AtghWyD

You may very well think that Philosophy is not a fact-based discipline. Bryan Frances will disabuse you of such thoughts, offering 200 philosophical facts in evidence: buff.ly/lDX367Y

The idea that evolutionary psychology is not falsifiable and lacks scientific rigour persists in academia and in public discourse. A new review debunks this zombie idea, writes Mane Yakoubian—its hypotheses can be rigorously tested and indeed overturned: tinyurl.com/u3xb6uff

Machine learning helps scientists identify millions of tiny, previously unseen earthquakes in data gathered from seismically active places— expanding the catalogs of quakes, refining maps of underground faults and ultimately improve quake forecasts: buff.ly/3FthAaj

The construction of a theatre or concert hall influences how the audience experiences the sound—notably reverberation and timbre. But there’s another important factor that affects the public’s perception of the sound: the colour of the venue: buff.ly/TegjiLJ

The controversy around *that* helmet in the Winter Olympics shows we don’t treat rules as the objective, impartial and authoritative reference that they are intended to be. Our loss? ICYMI, last call for my post, A reasonable illusion of objectivity: buff.ly/blDwWaU

Why is pessimism more seductive than optimism? @morganhousel points (inevitably) at evolution—those who treat threats as more urgent are more likely to survive—but that doesn’t explain why we cling on to it: buff.ly/UwoCqNg

The power of the group Research by Confer et al suggests kids aged 4-6 find evidence that aligns with ingroup beliefs more convincing (and contrary evidence less so); those not belonging to a group evaluated evidence accurately. buff.ly/fGLEkYw HT @jayvanbavel.bsky.social

Is anyone willing to often even a semi-plausible economic argument in defense of mandatory national origin labels? Bryan Caplan observes an intriguing consequence of such labelling. (I share his bafflement about the practice): buff.ly/yLQiNCY

Fines and incarceration are unimaginative punishments for minor crimes. Research suggests people would endorse more creative alternatives—eg walking 30 miles for failing to pay a taxi fare—because they’re assumed to better deter repeat offences: buff.ly/CarUqjN

Research by @trevorspelman.bsky.social et al suggests people overestimate the social costs of speaking out against the party line—especially on partisan issues—wrongly anticipating harsh rejection to signalling disloyalty: buff.ly/9MWypIp TL;DR:🧵 buff.ly/FlaBZIn buff.ly/uU98nYQ

The eyes have it New research suggests the mere presence of eyes on a robot influences our expectations of its mental capabilities—notably independent action and emotional experience, empathy and even consciousness: buff.ly/WQusASE via @psypost.bsky.social

Cat’s eyes—inspiration of the ubiquitous road safety devices—are much like natural night vision goggles. The reflective layer—also present in some other animals—that makes them light up helps them see in low light conditions now inspires cameras too: buff.ly/gno9BX0

People high in the potent combination of machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy (the Dark Triad) are best avoided—but they’re not the most malevolent. Research focused on workplace deviance described five distinct dark profiles: buff.ly/1QnZO8d

Research by Reitmann et al on social desirability finds •young Tunisians’ support for working women is up to 22 ppt higher when asked using a direct question vs through a list •financial incentives ups the accuracy of guesses on perceived social norms: buff.ly/aU7ERW2

Maximize your wellbeing through regular shortish breaks. Meta-analysis suggests the positive effects of a holiday can last for as long as 43 days (compared to before the break), with a faster decline for longer holidays: buff.ly/yDbi1tm

“I didn’t write that” “Yes you did” Research by @simonlermen.bsky.social et al shows LLMs can deanonymize pseudonymous users of online platforms using unstructured content (eg link pseudonymous Hacker News posts with LinkedIn profiles or interview transcripts): buff.ly/bAdgQpx

The problem with rules is not so much that there is almost always room for interpretation. It is that we always interpret them—either they lend objective authority to our position, or they are not applicable. buff.ly/xNsozW0

Regels vertellen ons wat juist of fout is, maar zo gebruiken we ze zelden. Wat we wél doen is ons beroepen op hun gezag als ze op één lijn staan met ons “redelijke” standpunt, en zo niet ze als niet van toepassing bestempelen: Mijn @apache.be stukje: buff.ly/pRlcw1l

Research with US participants suggests a link between elevated salt consumption and depression, with genetic predisposition for higher salt intake associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms and of major depressive disorder: buff.ly/2Tt1o5q

Postpartum depression is one of the most common and debilitating complications of childbirth. But remedies improve, and now the discovery of biological markers that flag heightened risk through a predictive blood test offer hope for suffering mothers: buff.ly/MAmTDiZ

A remarkable relic from Cold War era espionage: a KGB cigarette pack spy camera that still works (sort of—it was not exactly user friendly): buff.ly/WyfRk2l

What precisely is wrong with reading other people’s mail, wonders @paulbloomatyale. And goes on to explore how conflicted we are when it comes to (our own and others’) privacy inclinations. Very good post: buff.ly/qLdFJTq

We rarely use rules to inform us of what is right and wrong. Instead we use them for authoritative support if they align with our prior “reasonable” position, or dismiss them as not applicable if they are not aligned: buff.ly/xNsozW0

Does poverty lead to risk aversion, or to risky behaviour? The research is ambiguous. @bdecourson.bsky.social et al propose a ‘Desperation Threshold’ model that explains both: •basic needs still met → protect status quo •beyond → desperate risks (eg crime): buff.ly/B5rQt9V

Regels zijn bedoeld om geschillen op een neutrale, niet-arbitraire, objectieve manier op te lossen. Waarom dan de controverse rond de Oekraïense helm op de Olympische spelen? Mijn @apache_be stukje legt uit dat niet de regels het probleem zijn: buff.ly/LyRNRXV

Attention is truly a scarce resource—and so easily squandered. @yousrimarzouki studies the field, and in this @psyche_the_mag guide offers an approach to reclaim it from the numerous distractions we are subjected to: buff.ly/JTa7A6I HT @psych_writer

The great Carl Sagan’s “Baloney Detection Kit” is 30 years old. There’s still as much baloney around as then (if not more), so in celebration, @startswithabang.bsky.social revisits this classic critical thinking instrument, and draws nine lessons: buff.ly/c2Z996z

Our ‘self’ and our memory are interconnected, with memory—consisting of two systems, episodic and knowledge-based—as “the data base of the self”, argues Conway. Since our memory is reconstructed, so is our ‘self’: buff.ly/WzIeHGG

“Trusting expert predictions often is a bad idea—not because true expertise itself is hollow or overrated, but because what makes someone a legitimate expert is rarely their ability to function as an oracle.” @docgrawitch explains a crucial distinction: buff.ly/wN3wURH

Fake skin in the game Scientists develop 3D-printed skin that stretches and bleeds like the real thing (for training purposes only 😎): buff.ly/gPF0vN1

Rational choice theory (RCT) has become the normative standard for decision-making. However, it is deeply inadequate as a benchmark for good decisions, argues Barry Schwartz: buff.ly/j1RyX8W via @behscientist.bsky.social

Replications of experiments are not the be-all and end-all of the (social) sciences—it is important to understand what they do and what they don’t do: buff.ly/VUrJcL1

The true story why Æthelred the unready was fatally unready to face the Vikings: buff.ly/k9KxEWD

Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the smartest people ever—but what was his actual IQ? Plenty of speculation, but there is no evidence that he ever took an IQ test. Eric Dolan on what the IQ does and doesn’t measure, and on Einstein’s smarts: buff.ly/S8wqxGF via psypost.bsky.social

Bed-rocking rocks Continuous lateral rocking (0.25Hz) overnight makes people fall asleep faster, and improves both sleep quality and memory consolidation, research by Perrault et al finds: buff.ly/vlwmudr

Can a rulebook—like the International Olympic Committee’s, which sets out what athletes are and are not permitted to put on their attire—unequivocally settle controversies? No. How come? The problem is not the rules: buff.ly/blDwWaU

The difference between legal sports betting and reckless legalization Interesting podcast/transcript on how betting apps use all the tricks from the slot machine book on your phone, and exploit instead of protect those who are ‘spiralling’: buff.ly/oJW6q0H

This “systematic and accessible guide for incorporating evolutionary thinking into psychological research” is also useful for adopting evolutionary thinking in understanding human psychology: buff.ly/mH3TvTx

“Preoccupation priming” research suggests there is a causal link between repetitive thoughts about a theme and subsequent involuntary memories related to this theme: buff.ly/NnYjY5a via @psypost.bsky.social

Are grandmothers an evolutionary adaptation? A plausible solution to the mystery of the menopause: buff.ly/7iGi0IM

Natural woman, co-written by Carole King, who on 6 December 2015 received a lifetime achievement honour at the Kennedy Center—performed at that very event by Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Enjoy! youtu.be/efIAM5dzuDs

Why ‘rewiring’ is not the best metaphor for the concept of neuroplasticity (our brains capacity to rew– er, make new connections): buff.ly/LroZXUA

Rules should be objective, dispassionate and non-arbitrary. But is that how we use them? Or do we simply check whether they support our ready-made, ‘reasonable’ judgment—if so invoking them, if not declaring them not applicable? buff.ly/xNsozW0