60-Second Mind artwork

60-Second Mind

338 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 9 years ago - ★★★★ - 215 ratings

Tune in every Saturday for quick commentary on the latest news in behavior and brain research—it'll just take a minute

Science Technology science technology minute brain behavior psychology psychiatry neuroscience scientific american 60-second
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Episodes

Craving for Sex May Trip Other Hungers in Men

June 02, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

Watching women in bikinis tends to make men more impulsive when it comes to monetary decisions. Christie Nicholson reports.

Is Civilization the Result of Humans' Need to Share?

May 27, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

A 2007 study published in Science shows that young human children perform as well as apes on intelligence tests, but that kids beat apes in social skills. The lead researcher explains why this difference is crucial. Christie Nicholson reports.

Our Cars, Ourselves

May 19, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutes

Increasingly, GPS and voice-activated systems in cars are turning a fairly private place into an open vessel for our habits--and as such, a possible boon for advertisers. But they are also becoming something else: our counselors

You Say "Ga," I say "Ba," but Everyone Hears "Da"

May 12, 2008 17:45 - 3 minutes

A fascinating auditory illusion proves that the visual cue of moving lips plays an important role in accurately hearing what people say.

The Lure of Bette Davis Eyes

May 05, 2008 11:30 - 2 minutes

Two scientists from the University of Bremen have found that groups of brain cells within the temporal lobe of macaque monkeys, are not only dedicated to recognizing facial features, but each cell is responsible for specific sub-sets of facial features, like eye size.

In Negotiations, If You Feel Your Opponents' Pain, It May Be Their Gain

April 28, 2008 12:00 - 2 minutes

Crucial in any successful negotiation is an accurate understanding of each side's motivations and needs. And although understanding another's needs involves the talent to empathize, research from the journal Psychological Science reveals that feeling another's emotions can be a deal breaker.

Stock Market Winners Get Big Payoff--In Testosterone

April 21, 2008 12:00 - 2 minutes

A study of male traders in London reveals an interesting correlation between testosterone levels and success on the trading floor.

World Wide Suicide: A Self-Termination Community Grows on the Web

April 14, 2008 10:00 - 2 minutes

An investigation published in the 'British Medical Journal' reveals that Web searches for information on suicide will likely result in links to pro-suicide sites, which often encourage and facilitate suicide and suicidal ideation.

Brain Images Make Inaccurate Science News Trustworthy

April 07, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

Research published in the April issue of the journal Cognition shows that the colorful brain images created by functional magnetic resonance imaging can give a perceived credibility to an otherwise flawed science news story.

Learn to Be Kind

March 28, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison finds that we can acquire a greater capacity for compassion through meditation training, in much the same way as athletes or musicians train to improve their skill.

Mind the Alzheimer's Switch

March 14, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

Neuroscientists recently made a startling discovery--young brains may experience memory loss due to the same mechanism responsible for Alzheimer's.

Experimenting With Drugs

March 03, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

While at Stanford in the mid-1960s, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest author Ken Kesey started adding a peculiar ingredient to his homemade venison stew--LSD. Now, more than forty years later, the psychedelic pioneer's beloved drug is giving neuroscientists new clues about what causes schizophrenic psychosis.

Debunking Animal Autism

February 22, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

Animal behaviorist Temple Grandin believes extraordinary animals think much like autistic geniuses. Now, some neuroscientists say it simply isn't true. *This week's podcast guest hosted by Christopher Intagliata, an intern for Scientific American Mind. www.sciammind.com

If You Like It, It Must Be Rare

February 15, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

A study out of the business school INSEAD reveals that we tend to invert the economic axiom of short supply leads to high demand, meaning that we also conclude (prematurely and often incorrectly) that anything in high demand must be in short supply.

Fear Raises Self Esteem in Iraqi Teens

February 07, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

A survey of 1,000 Iraqi teens reveals a surprising effect of living in a war torn country. Seems that when faced with an indirect threat to one's self or nation, we take action to raise our own self esteem.

The "Me" Generation Isn't So "Me"

January 31, 2008 00:00 - 2 minutes

Contrary to the media hype that today's teens are more self-absorbed than generations past, Canadian researchers have found zero evidence for any increase in narcissism, which includes arrogance and self-entitlement, over the last three decades.

Lookin' Crazy in Love

January 24, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutes

Psychologist Steven Pinker describes why passionate infatuation, typically associated with unhealthy romantic behavior, may have real advantages for long term commitment.

Bisexuality is a Distinct Sexual Orientation

January 17, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutes

Results from a 10-year study show that bisexuality in women is not a transitional phase enroute to lesbianism, but rather a distinct and long-term sexual orientation.

You're so Psychic, Bet You Know This Podcast is About You

January 10, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutes

Two Harvard psychologists use neuroimaging to provide what some call the best evidence yet that extrasensory perception (or ESP) does not exist.

Race, IQ and Flynn

January 03, 2008 00:00 - 3 minutes

James Flynn, who noticed that IQ scores have risen by three points every decade (a trend called the Flynn Effect), makes a case for why any racial differences in IQ are not immutable and caused by genetics. For more see his latest book, "What is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect."

Sibling Conflict Around the Holidays

December 20, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

As much as parents try to craft equal gifts for each child around the holidays, siblings still seem to fight over who got the better gift. New research reveals that parents may not always give fairly to each darling, in fact there's one sibling who takes the lion's share.

The Slow Down of Time in Crisis

December 13, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Recent research from the Baylor College of Medicine tackles the fascinating experience we have of time slowing down during a terrifying event, like a car accident. Does our brain track time differently during crisis? They say no, it's more about a trick of memory.

Fear Gets Us to the Gym

December 06, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Research from the University of Bath reveals that the kind of messaging that persuades us to get to the gym is based on how we see ourselves in the future.

See Your Doc to Stop Smoking

November 29, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Two researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health published a review in the November 20th issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, of several hundred smoking studies. They conclude that success in quitting depends on a combo of meds and non-pharmacotherapy, but that a key component is the role of the physician. Just advising a patient to quit, actually doubles their quit rates. And long term follow-up, at least one year, is critical the researchers say.

When the Virtual You Changes the Real You

November 22, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Imagine a future where a digital you is influencing the real you; where a communicating clone can convince us to alter our decisions and behavior. Research underway at Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab has shown that our digital self can persuade our real self to exercise more. (A good thing after gorging on mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!)

Laughing in the Face of Adversity

November 15, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

A poster presented at the Society of Neuroscience meeting reveals that empathy isn't always about matching anothers' emotion. Researchers found that sometimes instead of feeling anothers' pain, we might feel more...amused.

The General Gist of False Memories

November 08, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Duke University neuroscientists have found a distinction between memories for specifics versus memories for the overall gist of an event. The latter, the overall impression we have of something, tends to be the memory that is more often false.

How We Can Hear Without Sound

November 01, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Research published in Nature describes how spontaneous activity in a developing ear creates the mechanics of hearing in the absence of sound. Researchers say this might help explain the tortuous ringing of tinnitus.

Sexual Orientation Controlled in the Brains of Worms

October 25, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Biologists are able to turn on a gene in the brain of nematode worms that leads them to desire same-sex partners.

Clock Genes Might Control the Sleep We Need

October 18, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Clock genes, long known to regulate our circadian rhythms, also give clues to what makes sleep so persistent.

God in the Brain?

October 11, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

As neuroscientists search for brain circuits that lead to religious experiences, they're touching on some of our deepest questions - like, could religion be explained by a neural quirk? For more on this story, see David Biello's article, "Searching for God in the Brain" in this month's issue of Scientific American Mind.

New Head Protection for Footballers

October 04, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

A new high-tech helmet allows coaches and sideline doctors to spot concussions and other dangerous injuries on the football field, in real-time. The head gear has sensors that send impact measurements wirelessly. For more on this story, please read Larry Greenemeier's October 4 article on Sciam.com news.

More Stress Means Less Eating

September 27, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Recent studies on a hormone receptor in the brain called CRF2 brought new hope for a solution to obesity. But research in the Journal of Neuroscience cautions: while CRF2 cuts appetite, it also increases stress.

Neurons for Good and Bad Surprises

September 20, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

A recent study with monkeys finds that the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, has neurons that fire for good surprises, and different neurons that fire for bad surprises.

Fetal Neurons Found in Adult Brain

September 13, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Special cells that control the wiring of a fetus' brain were thought to die off shortly after birth. But scientists have found some of these pre-natal neurons surviving, and communicating, in the adult brain.

Toddlers Beat the Great Apes at Social Learning

September 06, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

New research in Science reveals that children and apes are on par when it comes to straight numerical and spatial abilities, but when they're tested on social learning, the children excel.

Going Under Hypnosis Before Going into Surgery

August 30, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

Turns out that hypnosis, once thought to be a hocus-pocus parlor trick, may now be considered a legitimate surgical tool

Women Really do Prefer Pink

August 23, 2007 00:00 - 2 minutes

A study has shown that women are more attracted to reddish hues, than to greens, yellows and the universally-loved blues.