Category Archives: Social Psychology

August 18

The Fear of Missing Out

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There is no shortage of slang to be found on the internet. In recent years, a piece of slang in the form of an acronym has piqued my interest – FOMO. This acronym stands for “fear of missing out,” and is something I am certain most people can relate to. Despite its prolific use in […]

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June 04

Revisiting “Otherness” in light of current events

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Editorial Note: NeuWrite San Diego stands in solidarity with those using their voices to protest racial inequality and systemic violence by individuals and institutions against the Black community in response to the murder of George Floyd. We believe that Black Lives Matter. In lieu of bringing our readers new neuroscience content at this time, we […]

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November 02

Fact or Fiction: False Memories from Replicants to Rituals

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Mild spoilers for the film Blade Runner 2049 follow.   In Blade Runner’s world, it is the year 2049, and Earth looks substantially different than in 2017. Our fair city of San Diego is a literal garbage dump, crops are unable to grow outdoors, a single corporation dominates all agriculture and industry. The skies of […]

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October 13

Pop Culture Psychology: What Your Favorite Superhero Can Say About You

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[En espagñol] It’s October and the leaves are turning – Halloween is creeping up, and it’s time to start thinking about your costume. Vampires and zombies are always popular, but you’ve probably noticed a trend in the last few years: superheroes are where it’s at. We love our pop culture characters, and from Luke Cage […]

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May 12

Sweet, Sweet Fructose

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When a cat licks you (lucky you), have you ever considered licking back? (Some have.) If you have, and did, you would have noticed that cats do not taste sweet. Nevertheless, phrases such as “sweet kittens” and “sweet deals”, alongside terms like “sweetheart”, pervade the modern English language; “sweet”, like “nice”, “awesome”, and “cool”, has […]

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December 14

Real Jedi Mind Tricks: The Psychology of Mind Control

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[En Español] Welcome, my young padawans, to Star Wars week. Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out THIS Friday, and the neurds on our team decided that it was a perfect opportunity to do one of our favorite things: connect neuroscience with pop culture! First up: real-world Jedi Mind Tricks. In Star Wars: A New […]

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February 14

THE BRAIN IS A BATTLEFIELD (A LOOK AT YOUR BRAIN POST-BREAKUP)

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All couples look forward to Valentine’s night. Flying around the apartment, you quickly assemble everything needed for the romantic evening: nice outfit, box stuffed with chocolates, blood-red envelope holding your oh-so-romantic valentine card. The doorbell rings, and you smile broadly as you pull open the door… to find your beloved standing there, frowning and valentine-less. […]

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February 12

A science of falling in love?

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“To fall in love with anyone, do this!” proclaimed the headline of a recent article from the New York Times’ Modern Love column. As a skeptic in everything (and what cognitive scientist wouldn’t be skeptical of such a statement?), it seemed shocking to discover that the secret to falling in love, according to the article, […]

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