60-Second Mind
338 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 9 years ago - ★★★★ - 215 ratingsTune in every Saturday for quick commentary on the latest news in behavior and brain research—it'll just take a minute
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Episodes
Up Your Online Dating Game with Evidence-Based Strategies
February 14, 2015 15:10 - 3 minutesChoosing a user name starting with a letter appearing earlier in the alphabet is just one scientifically vetted way to increase the odds of turning an online encounter into a first date. Christopher Intagliata reports
Junk Diet Rewires Rat Brains
February 07, 2015 15:00 - 2 minutesHigh-calorie and exceedingly pleasurable foods appear to change rat brain rewards circuitry, causing the rodents to continue to seek such fare. Erika Beras reports
High Price Tag on Meds May Boost Healing
January 31, 2015 14:00 - 2 minutesParkinson’s patients derived more benefits from a salt solution they were told was an expensive drug than from the same solution when it was described as being cheap medication. Karen Hopkin reports
Publication Bias May Boost Findings for Bilingual Brain Benefits
December 30, 2014 20:06 - 2 minutesOf studies presented at conferences, those that found a cognitive benefit to bilingualism were almost twice as likely to get published in journals as were studies finding no benefit. Karen Hopkin reports
Inclusion Illusion Lessens Racial Bias
December 20, 2014 09:00 - 2 minutesImplicit bias against another race lessened after volunteers experienced themselves via virtual reality as a member of that race. Karen Hopkin reports
Blood Test Forecasts Concussion Severity
December 15, 2014 19:00 - 2 minutesLevels of a protein fragment in the blood paralleled how long head injuries benched hockey players. Ingrid Wickelgren reports
Bouncy Gait Improves Mood
December 08, 2014 18:34 - 3 minutesIf you're in an up mood, you may walk more energetically. But a study finds that purposefully walking more energetically may improve your mood. Christie Nicholson reports
Synchronized Walking Reduces Opponent's Perceived Size
November 09, 2014 10:46 - 2 minutesSubjects who kept pace with a walking colleague estimated a potential enemy to be smaller and lighter than did other walkers who were not marching. Karen Hopkin reports
Big Parental Control May Stunt Kid Assertiveness
November 03, 2014 09:32 - 2 minutesYoung adults who’d had highly controlling parents were less able to stress their own viewpoints to a friend or partner in confident and productive ways. Daisy Yuhas reports
Lots or Little Sleep Linked to Sick Days
September 29, 2014 13:00 - 2 minutesAbsence from work due to illness increased dramatically for those who slept less than six hours or more than nine hours per night. Christie Nicholson reports
Can’t Take My Eyes off You—Your Face, That Is
September 06, 2014 12:00 - 2 minutesThe direction of your gaze when looking at someone offers an unconscious, automatic giveaway of whether your initial reaction is romance or sex. Christie Nicholson reports
Talking to Strangers Makes You Happy
August 30, 2014 18:00 - 2 minutesPeople who had to strike up conversations on a subway later reported feeling happier than those who didn’t. Christie Nicholson reports.
People Think Experiences Bring Happiness, Still Opt for Things
August 24, 2014 16:15 - 2 minutesSurvey subjects rated life experiences as making them happier and as a better use of money than buying objects. But they actually spent their cash on material goods, whose value is more easily quantifiable. Erika Beras reports
Childhood Stress Decreases Size of Brain Regions
August 16, 2014 09:00 - 2 minutesChildren who experience neglect, abuse and/or poverty can have smaller amygdalas and hippocampuses, brain regions involved in emotion and memory, compared with kids raised in nurturing environments. Christie Nicholson reports
Even Monkeys Believe In Hot Streaks
August 12, 2014 12:55 - 2 minutesMonkeys trained to play fixed video games made moves indicating that they expected certain patterns to occur. Erika Beras reports
Brain State Bread Crumbs Lead Way Back to Consciousness
July 28, 2014 19:00 - 2 minutesResearchers studying anesthetized rats discovered a handful of activity patterns that may mark the path to consciousness after anesthesia. Karen Hopkin reports
Body's Pain Perception Mapped for First Time
June 23, 2014 10:43 - 3 minutesOur ability to pinpoint pain varies across the body, and in a specific pattern. Christie Nicholson reports
Vision Involves a Bit of Hearing, Too
June 02, 2014 07:00 - 2 minutesResearchers could tell what sounds blindfolded volunters were hearing by analyzing activity in their visual cortexes. Christie Nicholson reports
Parents Who Support Corporal Punishment Do It a Lot
May 21, 2014 20:25 - 3 minutesThirty-three families allowed themselves to be recorded for up to six nights. Parents who said they supported corporal punishment did it often and with little provocation. Christie Nicholson reports
Extroversion Extends Benefits across Cultures
May 14, 2014 13:20 - 2 minutesIn a study covering five different countries, subjects reported feeling best on the days when they practiced what are considered extroverted actions. Christie Nicholson reports
Eaters Assume Crunchy Foods Have Fewer Calories
May 07, 2014 18:30 - 2 minutesFood’s texture in your mouth—also called “mouthfeel” or “oral haptics”—influences estimates of calorie counts. And people might eat more crunchy stuff assuming (often incorrectly) it has fewer calories than softer fare. Christie Nicholson reports
Stressed Teens May Be Better Drivers
April 28, 2014 19:00 - 2 minutesTeenage drivers who have a high sensitivity to stress actually have lower rates of car accidents than their more mellow friends. Christie Nicholson reports
Mobile Phones Exert Emotional Pull
April 21, 2014 11:07 - 2 minutesWhat's being called "nomophobia," the anxiety of not having your mobile phone with you, may be a real condition among teens, at least according to two recent studies out of South Korea, the world’s most connected nation. Larry Greenemeier reports
Barbie Exposure May Limit Girls' Career Imagination
April 12, 2014 11:45 - 2 minutesGirls who played with dolls were then asked about future careers. Those who played with Barbie more likely to envision traditional pink-collar jobs than were girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head. Erika Beras reports
Kids Books May Cause Confusion about Animals
April 08, 2014 18:51 - 2 minutesChildren who heard descriptions of animals behaving like humans were less likely to attribute to a real animal a newly learned biological fact than were kids who heard realistic information. Christie Nicholson reports
Danger Explainers Convince Kids Better Than Do Edict Issuers
March 24, 2014 12:25 - 2 minutesMoms were better able to sway a child's perception of risk when they explained the reasons an activity was dangerous and its possible consequences rather than just saying no. Christie Nicholson reports
Youth Gang Membership Affects Mental Health Later in Life
March 19, 2014 18:36 - 2 minutesAdults who had been members of gangs in their adolescence had poorer outcomes on a variety of measures, including physical and mental health, than those who'd never been in a gang. Christie Nicholson reports
Infants Use Verbs They Know to Learn New Nouns
March 10, 2014 23:58 - 2 minutesBabies learning speech figure out what an object is by listening to others talk about what that object does. Christie Nicholson reports
Your Memory May Be Edited
March 02, 2014 19:51 - 2 minutesRecent and easily retrievable information can overwrite the details of memories, thus altering them in your mind. Christie Nicholson reports
Young Musicians Reap Long-Term Neuro Benefits
February 22, 2014 09:00 - 2 minutesPeople who played instruments as children responded a bit quicker to complex speech sounds as adults, even if they had not played an instrument in many years. Erika Beras reports
Movie-Watching Together Strengthens Marriages
February 08, 2014 22:00 - 2 minutesPsychologists found that encouraging newlywed couples to watch romance flicks, and then discuss them cut the three-year divorce rate in half. Christie Nicholson reports
Review Finds Meditation Somewhat Effective against Anxiety and Depression
January 27, 2014 17:21 - 2 minutesA meta-analysis of 47 previously published studies concludes that there's moderate evidence for meditation offering some relief of anxiety and depression, and low or insufficient evidence for effects on other conditions. Christie Nicholson reports
Brain-Training Games May Not Improve Overall Intelligence
January 14, 2014 00:00 - 2 minutesBrain-training games seem to temporarily improve specific tasks, but claims that they can improve overall brain function have yet to be proved. Christie Nicholson reports
How Computers Affect Our Movements
January 07, 2014 00:00 - 2 minutesComputer-use affects the brain's ability to generalize the skill of moving a mouse. Christie Nicholson reports
"Angelina Jolie Effect" Leaves Public with Inaccurate Knowledge of Breast Cancer Risk
December 27, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesA survey of 2500 Americans finds that despite many knowing about Jolie's preventive double mastectomy, most remain in the dark about breast cancer risk. Christie Nicholson reports
Test Prep Doesn't Help Raise Intelligence Scores
December 19, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesScores on standardized tests may go up but a student's ability for abstract and logical thinking may not improve. Christie Nicholson reports
Pain Now Is Easier Than Pain Later
December 13, 2013 05:00 - 1 minuteDelaying inevitable pain may not be the best route when it comes to decreasing your anxiety. Christie Nicholson reports
We Are More Likely to Lie in the Afternoon
November 30, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesIf you want to catch someone in a lie, you'll raise your odds in the afternoons, as most people are more likely to cheat or lie then as opposed to the morning. Christie Nicholson reports
Overeating Due to Stress?
November 17, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesIf you over-eat or under-eat as a reaction to stress, don't worry, your body may compensate to balance you over time. Christie Nicholson reports
Music Helps You Work Harder
November 02, 2013 05:00 - 1 minutePhysical labor is often made easier when accompanied by music. But is it merely listening to music that helps, or is it more motivating to participate in the music itself? Christie Nicholson reports
Anxiety Increases with Online Health Searches
October 26, 2013 05:00 - 1 minuteA study of so-called cyberchondriacs finds that those who are uncomfortable with uncertainty only feel worse the more they search online for health symptoms. Christie Nicholson reports
Seeing Photos of Food Makes Actual Food Less Tasty
October 09, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesLooking at photos of food can lead us to become bored with other similar foods. Christie Nicholson reports
Reducing a Fear During Sleep
October 03, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesExposure to a fearful memory while in deep sleep may help reduce the fear. Christie Nicholson reports
Generosity Can Breed Contempt
September 24, 2013 20:54 - 2 minutesIn a group experiment, members who donated the least and the most to the community were both ostracized. Amy Kraft reports
Babies Know Animals Have Gushy Insides
September 15, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesIt appears we might be born with the knowledge that living things have insides and are not hollow. Christie Nicholson reports
When to Catch a Lie via Text
September 09, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesA recent experiment finds that when people are about to lie via digital text they take longer to construct their words. Christie Nicholson reports
We Probably Won't Recycle Shredded Paper
September 03, 2013 00:00 - 2 minutesTurns out that if we think something looks like trash then we probably won't bother recycling it. Christie Nicholson reports
Food Is Tastier When Part of a Ritual
August 24, 2013 05:00 - 1 minuteA special occasion can often make food taste better, and the more you are personally involved in its preparation the better. Christie Nicholson reports
Limit Youth Football Practice Hits For Brain Health
August 18, 2013 15:13 - 2 minutesChanges in youth football practices cut total hits to the head in half, while leaving game situations unaffected. Ingrid Wickelgren reports.
Portion-Size Label Influences Ingestion Intake
August 03, 2013 09:40 - 2 minutesPeople ate less of a portion of food if it was labeled "double-size" rather than "regular." Karen Hopkin reports