16 APR 2018 by ideonexus

 Teens Need a Psychological Moratorium

She remembered psychologist Erik Erickson's exhortation about teenagers: they need a "psychosocial moratorium," he wrote, an environment and a stretch of time in which they can explore different aspects of their personality and try on a series of identities without fear of consequence. In a way, that was what school was supposed to offer, but it didn't always do so with much success. She realized that this was exactly what virtual worlds offered all the time, to anyone with a computer and an ...
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A time when they can find their identity.

05 FEB 2016 by ideonexus

 The Mind on Music

For some reason that no one really understands, there is a psychological effect upon human listeners in regards to the musical scale. The tonic pitch, or tonal center is not only the mathematical center of the scale, but is the psychological center as well. Human perception of the tonic pitch in relation to the other notes of the scale gives each note of the scale, including the tonic pitch, a distinct "personality" or identity. If we were to label each note of the major scale with a number, ...
Folksonomies: mathematics music mind
Folksonomies: mathematics music mind
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17 AUG 2013 by ideonexus

 Zhodani Religion

Death, to the Zhodani, is not a complete ending. The "evil" (that is, failure of duty) of the individual spirit will be lost. The "good" of the spirit will merge for a time with the universal energy field, the Tavrian, and then return to another member of the race. The more dutiful the spirit, the more personality (and possibly even memory) will remain; this resembles reincarcation. An undutiful spirity will be diminished in proportion to its failures. However, actual demotion on the "chain o...
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Interesting concept, that our good survives to live more lifetimes, while our bad dies with us. The more good, the more of us to continue, while the more bad, the less we will exist. Similar to evolution, where our good survives into future generations.

21 JUN 2013 by mxplx

 I am my connectome

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11346470-connectome
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We know that each of us is unique, but science has struggled to pinpoint where, precisely, our uniqueness resides. Is it in our genes? The structure of our brains? Our genome may determine our eye color and even aspects of our personality. But our friendships, failures, and passions also shape who we are. The question is: how? Sebastian Seung, a dynamic professor at MIT, is on a quest to discover the biological basis of identity. He believes it lies in the pattern of connections between the brain’s neurons, which change slowly over time as we learn and grow. The connectome, as it’s called, is where our genetic inheritance intersects with our life experience. It’s where nature meets nurture. Seung introduces us to the dedicated researchers who are mapping the brain’s connections, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. It is a monumental undertaking—the scientific equivalent of climbing Mount Everest—but if they succeed, it could reveal the basis of personality, intelligence, memory, and perhaps even mental disorders. Many scientists speculate that people with anorexia, autism, and schizophrenia are "wired differently," but nobody knows for sure. The brain’s wiring has never been clearly seen. In sparklingly clear prose, Seung reveals the amazing technological advances that will soon help us map connectomes. He also examines the evidence that these maps will someday allow humans to "upload" their minds into computers, achieving a kind of immortality. Connectome is a mind-bending adventure story, told with great passion and authority. It presents a daring scientific and technological vision for at last understanding what makes us who we are. Welcome to the future of neuroscience

08 APR 2013 by ideonexus

 Harry Potter and the Fundamental Attribution Error

“You saved them from You-Know-Who,” McGonagall said. “How should they not care?” Harry looked up at McGonagall and sighed. “I suppose there’s no chance that if I said fundamental attribution error you’d have any idea what that meant.” McGonagall shook her head. “No, but please explain.” “Well...” Harry said, trying to figure out how to describe that particular bit of Muggle science. “Suppose you come into work and see your coworker kicking his desk. You think, ‘...
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Rational Potter explains to McConagall that people are projecting onto him powers he does not have.

29 MAR 2013 by ideonexus

 Overconfidence Breeds Error

In one classic demonstration, clinical psychologists were asked to give confidence judgments on a personality profile. They were given a case report in four parts, based on an actual clinical case, and asked after each part to answer a series of questions about the patient’s personality, such as his behavioral patterns, interests, and typical reactions to life events. They were also asked to rate their confidence in their responses. With each section, background information about the case i...
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The more a person knows about a subject, the more likely they are to make mistakes in judgement.

22 JUN 2012 by ideonexus

 Spirituality from Science

There have, however, always been men of high and disciplined spirituality who have insisted on their direct experience of something greater than themselves. Their conviction of the reality of a spiritual life apart from and transcending the life of the body may not lend itself to scientific proof or disproof; nevertheless the remarkable transformation in personality seen in those who rightfully lay claim to such experience is as objective as tomorrow's sunrise. Millions of lesser men draw str...
Folksonomies: science spirituality
Folksonomies: science spirituality
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A belief in something greater than oneself is not necessarily belief in the supernatural.

29 MAR 2012 by ideonexus

 Empirical Mind-Cure

There are plenty of persons to-day — “scientists” or “positivists,” they are fond of calling themselves — who will tell you that religious thought is a mere survival, an atavistic reversion to a type of consciousness which humanity in its more enlightened examples has long since left behind and outgrown. If you ask them to explain themselves more fully, they will probably say that for primitive thought everything is conceived of under the form of personality. The savage thinks tha...
Folksonomies: science religion
Folksonomies: science religion
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Science looks for empirical evidence, and religion has some empirical evidence for the positive effects of religion on the mind.

31 JUL 2011 by ideonexus

 Parenting is Receiving as Well as Giving

As a new parent, you may feel sometimes that all children do is take from you, but it is just a form of giving in disguise. Kids present you with an ear infection, but what they are really giving you is patience. They present you with a tantrum, but they are really giving you the honor of witnessing a developing personality. Before you know it, you’ve raised up another human being. You realize what a great privilege it is to be a steward of another life. I said that parenting is all about ...
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We give and give and give to our children, but in return we get to experience the wonder of watching a life develop.