Episode 9: Systemic Racism with Phia Salter
Extra Links for Lectures
The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Pandemic
The minute we make any decision—I think COVID-19 is serious; no, I’m sure it is a hoax—we begin to justify the wisdom of our choice and find reasons to dismiss the alternative.
Are Romantic Matching Algorithms Possible?
Modern dating has become akin to window shopping, with the promise that their algorithms guaranteed to find your perfect match. But does this really work? Dr. Samantha Joel's research suggests the answer may be No.
The Therapy-App Fantasy
An overwhelming demand for professional counseling has spawned slickly marketed companies promising a service they cannot possibly provide.
The Dregerian Narrative (or why “trans activists” vs. “scientists” framings are lazy, inaccurate, and incendiary)
Sometimes in my writings on transgender issues, I will mention the “Dregerian narrative.” This article is a brief “explainer” for those…
The incredibly frustrating reason there’s no Lyme disease vaccine
Your dog can get vaccinated for Lyme. You cannot.
Science Plays the Long Game. But People Have Mental Health Issues Now. (Published 2021)
I’ve reported on behavior and mental health for 20 years. As I exit, I can’t help but wonder why researchers have placed so little emphasis on helping people in distress today.
Making Jokes During a Presentation Helps Men But Hurts Women
A common piece of advice for presentations and winning over audiences is to be funny. After all, research shows that leaders who use humor are able to increase their employees’ performance and job satisfaction. And hearing something funny or being amused can reduce stress, improve social relations, generate a positive mood, and increase motivation. But new research shows that these outcomes may only apply to men. After watching videotaped presentations by both male and female actors, the man was given higher ratings when he used humor, while the woman who did was given lower ratings. One participant noted that the humorous woman showed “poor judgment in jokes” and another noted that she tried “to cover up her lack of real business acumen by making little jokes.” In contrast, participants who saw the humorous male presentation commented that “he is witty and likes to use humor to not seem like a stern speaker” and another said that “he adds a touch of humor to break up the monotony of his presentation.” These findings don’t mean that women should stop being funny, however; it does mean that organizations and managers should instead increase awareness of this prejudice.
12 Books That Incarcerated People In The US Have Been Banned From Reading
The books banned in US prisons are often seemingly harmless — and many are valuable educational resources.
Still Not in Our Genes: Resisting the Narrative Around GWAS • SftP Magazine
After years of struggling to uncover the genetic basis of diseases, genome-wide association studies were heralded as a revolution in genetics.
Migraines Primarily Strike Women. No Wonder Treatment Is So Difficult.
Women are three times more likely to suffer from the invisible illness than men.
Scientists can now diagnose depression with a blood test
Despite the fact that mental illness is quite common, it’s still heavily stigmatized across cultures and sometimes even challenging to diagnose and treat. Even if you are lucky enough to have good behavioral health care, your doctor has to combine…
Holocaust survivors push for greater awareness of its origins
"Sadly enough, 75 years after the Holocaust, this is a time to remind people what words can do,” one survivor said.
Are You Confused by Scientific Jargon? So Are Scientists (Published 2021)
Scientific papers containing lots of specialized terminology are less likely to be cited by other researchers.
Poll Finds Republicans Particularly Opposed To 'Vaccine Passport' Messaging
Court Vindicates Black Officer Fired for Stopping Colleague’s Chokehold (Published 2021)
Cariol Horne acted to keep a white officer from using what she saw as excessive force. Fifteen years later, a judge said her firing was wrong.
DDT's toxic legacy can harm granddaughters of women exposed, study shows
Women face greater risk of obesity, earlier menstruation and possibly breast cancer if their grandmothers were exposed to DDT during pregnancy, researchers say.
USA Today Uses Image Of Wrong Asian Man In Article Explaining ... Implicit Bias
"Mistakes like this show how implicit biases can creep into everyday decision-making without us ever knowing it."
A surprising kind of first aid for Mozambicans fleeing violence
Baltimore Cops Carried Toy Guns to Plant on People They Shot, Trial Reveals
One officer involved in the city's massive corruption scandal said officers kept the replicas "in case we accidentally hit somebody or got into a shootout, so we could plant them."
What to do instead of calling the police
These alternatives can help keep communities safe for everyone.
More Than 400 Convictions Involving Suspected Racist Cop in Virginia Could Be Overturned
The black woman - with white parents
Sandra Laing was born black, but to white parents. It would have been strange anywhere - but in apartheid South Africa it was disastrous. Rory Carroll reports from Johannesburg.
Do Brain Implants Change Your Identity?
As neural devices proliferate, so do reports of personality changes, foundering relationships, and people who want to leave their careers.
NYPD Officer Sent To Psych Ward By Superiors After Reporting Corruption
Graham Rayman at the Village Voice brings us more on officer Adrian Schoolcraft, the modern day Serpico who was sent to a psych ward for reporting on corruption in the NYPD. While working out of the 81st precinct in Brooklyn, Schoolcraft became aware of a pattern of crime victims getting caught up in bureaucratic hurdles that seemed to have purposely been set up to make it hard to report serious crimes. Schoolcraft reported a number of these incidents to investigators. That's where things take a turn for the insane:
r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] If you post on r/AmITheAsshole about these people, what are the odds of you being the asshole?
79,201 votes and 4,126 comments so far on Reddit
USC's Song Girls project a glamorous ideal; 10 women describe a different, toxic reality
Ten former USC Song Girls described to The Times a toxic culture within the famed collegiate dance team that included longtime former coach Lori Nelson rebuking women publicly for their eating habits, personal appearance and sex lives.
Could the Blackfoot Wisdom that Inspired Maslow Guide Us Now?
We all know Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs. But do we know about the Blackfoot way of life that may have inspired Maslow to develop it?
Bones of Black children killed in police bombing used in Ivy League anthropology course
Remains of those killed in 1985 Move bombing in Philadelphia serve as ‘case study’ in Princeton-backed course
Study: People with intellectual disabilities 2.5 times more likely to contract coronavirus, nearly six times more likely to die from it
Intellectually disabled people are 2.5 times more likely than other people to contract coronavirus and nearly six times more likely to die from it, according to a new study.