Various web links I found to be of interest recently.
Allowing more unsupervised free play is among the most powerful and least expensive ways to bring down rates of mental illness -- Jon Haidt and Peter Gray
Two Very Well-Established and Disturbing Facts.
Too many people are focusing on drugs and therapy, as if something
is wrong with the kids that needs correction, and not enough of us
are thinking about prevention. Prevention would involve bringing
normal childhood back to children. Children are designed to play
and explore and thereby becoming increasingly independent as they
grow older. Their instincts tell them that something is seriously
wrong if they don't have such independence.
...
Research shows that people of all ages who have a strong internal
locus of control (internal LOC), that is, a strong sense of being
able to solve their own problems and take charge of their own lives,
are much less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than those
with a weaker internal LOC. Obviously, however, to develop a strong
internal LOC a person needs considerable experience of actually being
in control, which is not possible if you are continuously
being monitored and controlled by others.
A
new study
found that people who were more active, but slept less than six hours
on average, had faster cognitive (mental) decline. After 10 years, their
cognitive function was equivalent to that of their more inactive peers.
...
One limitation of the study is that participants self-reported
on their sleep duration and physical activity.
A large study showed that older adults with a higher risk of dementia may be able to reduce their risk of cognitive decline by almost 50 percent by using hearing aids.
Whether hearing treatment reduces the risk of developing dementia in the long term is still unknown.
A new study estimates ~800,000 Americans are permanently disabled or die each year from diagnostic medical errors. Concurrently, multiple reports look at ways this may be reduced, including artificial intelligence. In this edition of Ground Truths, I'll review the scope of the problem and prospects for improvement that are desperately needed. Eric Topol
The reason rock-paper-scissors is not a purely arbitrary game,
and the reason that an excellent player will win more often than chance
would predict, is that human psychology is not random, and some
behaviors are - not necessarily predictable, but likely to occur
more often than chance would dictate.
...
One heuristic of experienced "layers is "Losers lead with Rock."
This is demonstrably true; naive players will lead with Rock more
often than one-third of the time. Your hand begins in the form of a
rock, and it is easiest to keep it that way. The name of the game
begins with "Rock," and if you are mentally sorting through
the options, it is the first one that will occur to you. And the
word "rock" itself has connotations of strength and immovability.
The New York Times continues Geller's rehabilitation tour, surreally romanticizing his decades of harmful deceptions.
Geller's enduring presence and rehabilitation isn't a testament to his genius, although he may well be a genius (or at the very least, a highly socially intelligent performer with no scruples!). Instead, his ability to remain in the headlines and to charm new generations of unduly credulous reporters is a disturbing reminder of our collective susceptibility to deception. Geller's stubborn refusal or inability to morally develop, to step out of his deceitful persona, is not laudable. It's tragic. As likable as I found the guy, I don't think his reputation should be salvaged, it should serve as a cautionary tale.