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
Increase Your Creativity: Live Abroad
June 14, 2009 00:00 - 2 minutesRecent research shows that people who have lived in a foreign country are more creative when it comes to solving problems. Christie Nicholson reports
Our Bodies, Our Brains
June 01, 2009 00:00 - 2 minutesRecent studies have shown that moving our body in certain ways can improve our ability to think. Christie Nicholson reports
Obama's Message to Graduates
May 18, 2009 10:00 - 3 minutesPresident Obama's message to Arizona State University grads matches new research on how to live a fulfilled and happy life. Christie Nicholson reports
Immorality and <i>Twitter</i>
May 04, 2009 00:00 - 3 minutesThe other week headlines were crying out that Twitter, the microblogging platform, makes us immoral, but the study on which the claim was made did not mention social media. Christie Nicholson reports
Why Dating Doesn't Predict Marital Success
April 27, 2009 09:00 - 2 minutesScientists confirm what may seem obvious to some: what satisfies us in dating, does not predict how happy we'll be in marriage. Christie Nicholson reports
When Do Dreams Begin?
April 16, 2009 10:00 - 2 minutesRecent research from the American Institute of Physics has found that the our dreaming sleep begins much earlier than previously thought. Christie Nicholson reports
Hope for Spinal Cord Injuries
April 08, 2009 09:00 - 2 minutesA paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA reports success in repairing damaged nerves in a system critical for human movement. Christie Nicholson reports
Why Cops Make Fatal Errors
March 31, 2009 00:00 - 2 minutesNew research suggests that a police officer's ability to multitask influences the number of wrongful shootings. Christie Nicholson reports
Sylvia Plath's Son and Suicide in Families
March 24, 2009 09:00 - 2 minutesThe recent suicide of Sylvia Plath's son, Nicholas Hughes, makes us question whether suicidal tendency runs in families. But the science remains complex. Christie Nicholson reports
Wiping Out Bad Memories
March 18, 2009 11:00 - 2 minutesResearch published in the journal Science last week shows the successful obliteration of a specific memory in mice. Christie Nicholson reports
Where Is God?
March 11, 2009 00:00 - 2 minutesResearch published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA provides support to the critics of the idea that a God spot exists in the brain. Christie Nicholson reports
Online Games as Study Tool
March 03, 2009 09:00 - 2 minutesAn interdisciplinary research group called the "Virtual Worlds Exploratorium" has started to analyze data from the online game EverQuest II, in order to find out more about real-life human behavior. Christie Nicholson reports
Thinking of Human as Machine
February 24, 2009 00:00 - 4 minutesIt will be a long time before machines can be "more human than human," as scientists are just starting to decode what happens inside our brains as we recognize a spoken word. Christie Nicholson reports.
Women as Sex Objects
February 17, 2009 03:05 - 4 minutesA new study presented at the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago shows that when men see photos of scantily clad women their brain registers the women as objects to be acted on. Christie Nicholson reports
The Scent of Sexual Sweat
February 09, 2009 17:00 - 3 minutesDo you like the scent of your Valentine? The Journal of Neuroscience reports that certain regions in women's brains are activated when they smell "sexual sweat." Christie Nicholson reports
Muscle Movement Affects How We Hear
February 03, 2009 08:00 - 3 minutesThe area of the brain responsible for movement plays a larger role than previously thought in how we hear speech. Christie Nicholson reports
When an Innocent Confesses to a Crime
January 27, 2009 08:00 - 3 minutesNew research shows the persuasive power of a false confession. It seems the confession itself can corrupt other evidence that may excuse a defendant. Christie Nicholson reports
Surviving a Plane Crash
January 20, 2009 00:00 - 3 minutesWe might think near-death experiences leave survivors, such as those on US Airways Flight 1549, forever suffering from post-traumatic stress and fear, but research concludes otherwise. Christie Nicholson reports
The Persistence of Racism
January 12, 2009 16:00 - 2 minutesRecent research concludes that although people predict they will react negatively to racial slurs, their behavior proves otherwise. Christie Nicholson reports
A Blind Man Sees
January 05, 2009 16:00 - 2 minutesA recent paper in Current Biology provides one of the few human cases of blindsight, the ability for perceptively blind people to respond to visual stimuli, even though they have no awareness of seeing anything. Christie Nicholson reports.
Great Expectations for 2009
December 30, 2008 02:00 - 2 minutesMultiple experiments by Duke University professor Dan Ariely reveal how our expectations hugely influence our decisions, and ultimately, our experiences. Christie Nicholson reports
Beware the Holiday Sugar High
December 22, 2008 06:00 - 2 minutesRecent research concludes that parents significantly overestimate how sugar affects their children's hyperactive behavior. Susannah F. Locke reports.
Gift-Giving for Lovers
December 15, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesResearch suggests that women don't seem to mind if they receive the less-than-perfect gift. Men, on the other hand, are a different story. Susannah F. Locke reports
To Get Good Grades, Get Good Sleep
December 08, 2008 12:00 - 2 minutesResearch suggests that college students don't get enough sleep, and that they are far better off sleeping than cramming for exams. Steve Mirsky reports
Cyberchondria: Online Diagnosis Leads to Obsessive Fear
December 02, 2008 12:00 - 2 minutesBeware using the Web for self-diagnosis, you'll probably end up with a lot of unnecessary stress, according to a recent study by Microsoft. Christie Nicholson reports
Eat, Exercise and Be Merry
November 24, 2008 12:50 - 3 minutesResearch shows that people who write down what they are grateful for may exercise more. Rachel Mahan reports
Beating Loneliness at Its Own Game
November 17, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesResearchers have found that indulging in feelings of nostalgia curiously combat the sad feelings that accompany loneliness. Christie Nicholson reports
A Bitter Placebo to Swallow
November 10, 2008 17:50 - 3 minutesResearch shows that the items surrounding a successful medical treatment, like the type of drink we use to wash down a pill, can sometimes be as effective as the pill itself. Christie Nicholson reports
More Sex for Women?
November 03, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesA recent analysis of survey responses shows who's cheating: Women, young couples and the over-60 crowd are closing the infidelity gap. Rachel Mahan reports
The Real Monsters on Halloween
October 27, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutesA study shows that young children have a tough time knowing if monsters are real or pretend. Christie Nicholson reports.
Restoring Movement in Paralyzed Limbs
October 20, 2008 12:40 - 2 minutesA study published in Nature shows how an artificial connection restores movement in paralyzed limbs. Christie Nicholson reports
Cell Phones Sometimes Cause Real Pain
October 13, 2008 10:30 - 2 minutesPeople increasingly complain of being "electrosensitive," claiming that the electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile phones cause them real pain. Christie Nicholson reports
Musicians Think Differently from the Rest of Us
October 06, 2008 11:45 - 2 minutesNew research shows that musicians simultaneously use both sides of their brain more often than nonmusicians
Business, Lies and E-mail
September 29, 2008 11:00 - 2 minutesNew research finds that business students lie more often in e-mail than when communicating using pen and paper. Christie Nicholson reports
Exposed Untruths Continue to Shape Voter Impressions
September 22, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesMisinformation on the campaign trail, once disseminated, is hard to undo--especially when it reinforces one's preconceptions. Christie Nicholson reports
Spooky Science: Does a Fear of Ghosts Help Keep Us Honest?
September 15, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesDoes the fear of "someone watching" help put us on the straight and narrow path?
Observers of Walking Figures See Men Advancing, Women in Retreat
September 08, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutesWhen viewing figures walking, a curious illusion appears. People perceive male strollers as moving toward them, whereas the female walkers appear to be moving away, regardless of the figure's actual direction. Christie Nicholson reports
Is Fidelity in our Genes?
September 01, 2008 17:10 - 2 minutesA gene that promotes monogamy in rodents may do the same in humans. Researchers think variation in this gene may help predict your man's ability to commit
Hotel Guests Throw in the Towel on the Environment
August 25, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesWhen it comes to using towels in hotels, it's herd mentality, not eco-principles, that leads patrons on a greener path. Christie Nicholson reports
For Online Consumption, the Web Is All About Cool
August 18, 2008 16:29 - 2 minutesBack in 2006 the concept of the "long tail" stated that the Web will turn consumers into lovers of niche products and services, and that the days of the blockbuster are over. But the data tell a different story. Christie Nicholson reports
Olympic Gold Medal: Is the Body Language of Triumph (or Defeat) Biological?
August 11, 2008 18:00 - 3 minutesA study published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA concludes that our reaction to Olympic victory is innate. Christie Nicholson reports
Rest Assured: The Brain Practices the Day's Lessons as We Sleep
August 05, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesStudies show we may be doing a lot more than just resting while we sleep. In fact the brain is hard at work, consolidating, sifting and moving the information we acquired during the day. Christie Nicholson reports
A study shows prescription OD accidents are on the rise
July 28, 2008 16:00 - 2 minutesA study published in Archives of Internal Medicine shows that fatal medicinal mistakes at home rose substantially in two decades. Christie Nicholson reports
A Whiff of Disaster, Dulled by Dopamine
July 21, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesResearch published in Nature Neuroscience uncovers a remarkable mechanism a female mouse uses to save her babies from dangerous miscarriage.
Dicey Proposition: Animals Are Self-Aware
July 14, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesResearchers continue to search for a way inside the mind of an animal. One promising study looked at monkeys that make bets
E-Therapy: Working It Out Online
July 07, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutesA new study in The American Journal of Psychiatry evaluates the merits of digital therapy. Christie Nicholson reports.
When Craving Is Better Than Getting
June 30, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesA study published in Nature Neuroscience shows that our own calming thoughts can significantly dampen the arousal we feel when we are anticipating positive rewards. Christie Nicholson reports.
Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals?
June 24, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutesConservatives have greater subjective life satisfaction than liberals, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Two New York University researchers performed three studies to find out why. Christie Nicholson reports.
Of Two Minds, One Consciousness
June 16, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutesStudies of split-brain patients provide insight into how we form thoughts--specifically how the left brain will create its own narrative based on information it never received. Christie Nicholson reports.
No Fair! My Serotonin Level Is Low
June 09, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutesThe chemical messenger serotonin, thought to be implicated in depression and anxiety, may change the way we see fairness in social situations. Christie Nicholson reports.