60-second Mind

Food’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  

Teenage drivers who have a high sensitivity to stress actually have lower rates of car accidents than their more mellow friends. Christie Nicholson reports  

What'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  

Girls 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  

Children 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  

Moms 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  

Adults 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  

Babies learning speech figure out what an object is by listening to others talk about what that object does. Christie Nicholson reports  

Recent and easily retrievable information can overwrite the details of memories, thus altering them in your mind. Christie Nicholson reports

People 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

Psychologists found that encouraging newlywed couples to watch romance flicks, and then discuss them cut the three-year divorce rate in half. Christie Nicholson reports

A 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 seem to temporarily improve specific tasks, but claims that they can improve overall brain function have yet to be proved. Christie Nicholson reports

Computer-use affects the brain's ability to generalize the skill of moving a mouse. Christie Nicholson reports

A 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

Scores on standardized tests may go up but a student's ability for abstract and logical thinking may not improve. Christie Nicholson reports

If 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

If 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

Looking at photos of food can lead us to become bored with other similar foods. Christie Nicholson reports

Exposure to a fearful memory while in deep sleep may help reduce the fear. Christie Nicholson reports