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Story Archives of 'Psychology'Some New Hampshire Residents Turn to Massachusetts for Psychiatric CrisesBy Dianne Finch on Wednesday, July 2, 2008.This week Catholic Medical Center in Manchester officially closed its inpatient psychiatric unit. They cited underutilization as the reason for the closure, but several studies reveal rising needs for mental health services in New Hampshire. The problem is severe enough that many patients are heading to Massachusetts to find the help they need. The History of the JokeBy Abby Goldstein on Thursday, July 24, 2008.Most actors will tell you that drama is easy - that the hardest thing to do well is comedy.
Jim is a contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and a collector of jokes. He joins Word of Mouth with more on the history and evolution of the joke. (Photo by berlintapes) Predicting SuicideBy Abby Goldstein on Thursday, July 24, 2008.Four years ago, Eric Bebergal tried to kill himself by wrapping wire around his neck and attaching it to a closet pole. His wife found him passed out on the floor. He was admitted to the emergency room at Mass General Hospital, and was released the next day. A few weeks later, Eric attempted suicide again, and this time succeeded. He was 46 years old.
(Photo by Gabriela Camerotti) OMG, Language is ChangingBy Virginia Prescott on Monday, June 23, 2008.We know communication technology is changing how we talk to each other. Currently 340 million people worldwide have instant messaging accounts, 24 million are on Facebook, and more than 1 trillion text messages were sent globally in 2005. Wth those numbers come changes in the way we write, read, and even listen to language.
Naomi S. Baron, professor of linguistics at American University, has spent a decade researching how technology has influenced our reading, speaking, writing and listening behaviors. She joins Word of Mouth to dicuss her new book, "Always On: Language In An Online and Mobile World," and what will become of written culture. Also, we hear about a machine to teach toddlers foreign languages, invented by a group of researchers at the University of California-San Diego. Reporter Molly Bently visited Ruby the Robot and her students for the BBC program Science in Action. (Photo by QwirkSilver/Kristine) Our Stuff, Our SelvesBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 19, 2008.You’ve likely heard that advertising is in big trouble. Newspaper and TV ad revenue is tanking. Consumers are informed and picky, no longer hostage to TV commercials. We’re skipping ads with Tivo while the Internet offers on-demand content 24/7. But is the advertising business really on its way to extinction?
The connection between our possessions and ourselves is also of great interest to "snoopologist" Dr. Sam Gosling, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin. He joins the show to discuss his new book "Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You," which brings the fine art of nosing around people's bedrooms, offices and iPod playlists into the realm of social science. (Photo by Matt Miller) Memory, Poverty, and the BrainBy Virginia Prescott on Monday, June 16, 2008.On today's show, we take a look at your brain. Specifically, your brain at that maddening moment when you run into an old acquaintance, but just can’t place their name. Ben? Bob? Brian? You’ve got the “b” part, but the rest just seems to stick on the tip of your tongue. Science editor and writer Jonah Lehrer, became fascinated with this phenomenon, and he stopped by our studio to tell us more.
And we hear a story from public radio station KQED's QUEST about researchers at Stanford University using complex brain imaging to study how we make financial decisions. They’re finding that emotions play a pretty big role in everyday purchases. Andrea Kissic visited the lab to see what the scientists are coming up with. (Photo by Piper Falk) Bringing Meditation Into the Doctor's OfficeBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 12, 2008.
(Photo by Rosh PR) The Autism Rights MovementBy Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 5, 2008.The number of people diagnosed with autism has grown tremendously in the past few decades. In the 1970s the rate of autism was about one in 10,000. Now it's about one in 150. But the question of whether autism is indeed spreading is contentious. In fact, so is almost every aspect of the disorder.
Andrew Solomon recently wrote about the push for autism rights in New York Magazine, and he joined Word of Mouth to discuss the movement to see autism as a positive identity, not a disability. (Photo by Norma Desmond) The Chemistry of TrustBy Abby Goldstein on Tuesday, May 27, 2008.You're crossing the street at a traffic light, and there’s a car approaching. They have a red light. Do you freeze in fear? Do you run to the other side? No, you take your time and cross. You trust that the driver will obey the rules of the road, even though you don’t know them. Trust isn’t just a social or emotional response, there’s a physiological connection as well. Researchers have discovered that the hormone and neurochemical oxytocin plays a role in allowing strangers to trust each other. The research is described in the June issue of Scientific American, and the magazine's editor-in-chief, John Rennie, joined Word of Mouth to share the brain science behind trust. Read more about researcher Paul Zak and the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies. (Photo by Colin Ashe) More than Chatting: Hair Stylists Recruited to Limit Domestic ViolenceBy Dan Gorenstein on Monday, May 19, 2008.Lots of women have meaningful and personal connections with their hairdressers. A new campaign to curb domestic violence is looking to take advantage of those relationships by training hair stylists to look for signs of domestic abuse. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein has the story. listen: No audio currently available. Order on CD (pdf).
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