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We like things more the more we see them
Most of us are fortunate enough to be surrounded by things we like. There has to be something wrong with the man who lives with pictures...


What is music for?
Psychologists puzzle over art in general. For some genres, they can give glib (and almost certainly wrong) defences. Maybe we like pretty...


You only need to be good if you want to be good
A friend asked me recently, ‘Why are there no good men anymore?’ I think she was talking about men in general rather than me...


If You Want Someone To Love You, Frighten Them A Bit
We make our decisions about romantic partners for reasons that we may not be aware of. Yet once we’ve fallen for someone our pulses...


Five Things Scientists Know About Romance
The bespectacled, lab-coat wearing geek isn’t most people’s idea of a hot date. But, with nothing better to do on a Friday evening, and...


Hearing With Your Eyes: The McGurk Effect
Do you realise that you hear with your eyes as well as your ears? In this video, you'll see and hear it for yourself!


Five Ways To Strengthen Your Willpower
Understanding self-control is perhaps the most important thing that a psychologist can do. People with it are healthier, get better...


How to change people’s behaviour without them realising
From each set of five words below, make a grammatically-correct four-word sentence. For example, from the list good cat she very was you...


In defence of homeopathy
Homoeopathists have had a bad time of it recently. Other bloggers have pointed out that there is nothing in the tablets that their...


How to mess up your children
Philip Larkin's poem, This Be The Verse, begins: They [mess]* you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you...


Are liberals really wet?
The stereotypical liberal is a beard-wearing, sandal-sporting, yoghurt-eating wimp. The hawkish conservative is made of sterner stuff. ...


Should Politicians Be Splashing Out On Surgery?
In the protracted build up to a possible May poll, leaders of the main parties are fighting to set the agenda, attempting to focus the...
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