Anyone who suffers from hay fever knows how irritating and, in some cases, disabling, the condition can prove. The New Scientist reports that self-hypnosis may be able to provide some relief.
I have to admit my motives for reporting this story are not entirely pure, the abstract does contain a phrase with natural comedy value. Apparently, in assessing the effectiveness of the treatment, something called a ‘nasal provocation test’ was carried out.
“Excuse me, is that your nose, or did a bus park on your face?”
“Ooh, I wish I were you, to be able to smell your own ear.”
“Say, does that thing there influence the tides?”
New Scientist
A press briefing was held in London yesterday in which a few psychologists speculated on the electorate’s mood. Due to the predictable content, the story only just limped into the news. Perhaps they should have tried for something a little more radical than: The war on Iraq was a bit of a problem for Labour but they’ll win anyway.
One species, two genders. Yes, biologically we are fundamentally different, but what about psychologically? Is the difference between men and women all a ‘social construction’? What if you give dolls to a male child? What if you treat him like a girl? What if you dress him like a girl? And what if you surgically reconstruct his genitalia so that, anatomically, he looks like a girl?
An excellent technique for learning a new skill is to find someone who is already successful at what you want to learn, and copy their technique. This is at the root of Rodcorp’s blog, “How we work.” Try it out with today’s post on how Franz Liszt used to read a book while practising the piano.
With the General Election only a few short weeks away, there’s election fever here in the UK. Well, even if the populace hasn’t quite reached fever pitch, there’s certainly a fever amongst the politicians. And part of the reason was discovered a few years ago in a psychological study of how the electorate judge the canditates. Unlike the five dimensions of personality which are normally used, people judge politicians on only two dimensions: How trustworthy are they? How energetic are they?
In discussing the upcoming election here in the UK, Raj Persaud on All In the Mind asks whether politicians ever answer a question. Apparently when asked by a professional interviewer, the average number of responses that directly address 
The mental health charity SaneLine is staring into the abyss of financial ruin after the government stopped its funding and the tsunami appeal diverted many of its donors. The charity provides a telephone helpline staffed by volunteers that gives advice to those with mental health difficulties.