Latest news with #JournalOfExperimentalPsychology
Fast Company
03-08-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
Want to get smarter? Neuroscience says 5 simple steps significantly boost memory, learning, and cognition
BY Since no one ever does anything worthwhile on their own, who you know is important. But what you know — and what you do with what you know — is crucial. Learning, memory, and cognitive skills are a competitive advantage. Here are five neuroscience-based ways to learn more quickly, and even more importantly, better retain what you learn. Best of all, each takes a couple of minutes at most, and one requires no effort at all. Say it out loud. We took the grandkids to surf lessons. They wanted to go back for another session, the instructor was great, so I asked him his name. Problem is, I'm terrible at remembering names. So I said it aloud three or four times. Why? A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that saying words out loud (or even just mouthing the words) makes them more memorable. While the underlying mechanism is unclear, neuroscientists theorize saying something out loud separates and distinguishes it from 'mere' thoughts. (You didn't just think it. You also heard it.) That makes the information, idea, or plan you want to remember even more memorable. When you need to remember something, say it aloud, or mouth it to yourself. Your cerebral cortex will help you retain it longer. Then… Do a 40-second replay. Remembering a name is fairly simple. Remembering something more complex requires memory consolidation, the process of transforming temporary memories into more stable, long-lasting memories. Even though memory consolidation can be sped up, storing a memory in a lasting way takes time. A good way to increase the odds is to mentally replay whatever you want to remember for 40 seconds. A 2015 study published in Journal of Neuroscience found that a brief period of rehearsal — replaying an event in your mind, going over what someone said in a meeting, mentally mapping out a series of steps, etc. — makes it significantly more likely you will remember what you replayed. As the researchers write: A brief period of rehearsal has a huge effect on our ability to remember complex, lifelike events over periods of one to two weeks. We have also linked this rehearsal effect to processing in a particular part of the brain, the posterior cingulate. A week or two? That should be long enough for you to actually do something with whatever you wanted to remember. Then… Make a prediction. While it sounds odd, a study published in the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology shows the act of asking yourself whether you will remember something significantly improves the odds that you will remember, in some cases by as much as 50 percent. That's especially true for prospective memories, or remembering to perform a planned action or intention at some point in the future. Following up with a customer. Checking on a vendor's status. After you deal with a problem, determining the the root cause. Why playing the prediction game works is also somewhat unclear. Possibly the act of predicting is a little like testing yourself; as research shows, quizzing yourself is a highly effective way to speed up the learning process. What is clear is that the act of predicting helps your hippocampus better form and index those episodic memories for later access. Want to remember to do something in the future? Take a second and predict whether you will remember. That act alone makes it more likely you will. Then… Zone out for two minutes. According to a study published in Nature Reviews Psychology, 'even a few minutes of rest with your eyes closed can improve memory, perhaps to the same degree as a full night of sleep.' Psychologists call it 'offline waking rest.' In its purest form, offline waking rest can be closing your eyes and zoning out for a couple of minutes. But you can also daydream. Meditate. Clear your mind and think happy thoughts. While none of those sound productive — should you really be wasting time you could be learning? — intermittent lack of focus improves memory consolidation; in simple terms, constantly going from one thing to the next makes it hard for your brain to keep up. As the researchers write: Periods of reduced attention to the external world are a universal feature of human experience, which suggests that spending a portion of time disengaged from the sensory environment … permit the reactivation of recently formed memory traces. This iterative reactivation of memory could strengthen and stabilize newly formed memories over time, contributing to early stages of memory consolidation during the first few minutes following encoding. The key is to be intentional about it. First, replay what you want to remember for 40 seconds or so. Then, predict whether you will remember it. Then, close your eyes, zone out, and engage in a minute or two of offline waking rest. As the researchers write, 'Moments of unoccupied rest should be recognized as a critical contributor to human waking cognitive functions.' And finally… Get a good night's sleep. Here's the effortless aspect of improving your memory. According to a study published in Psychological Science, people who studied before bed, slept, and then did a quick review the next morning spent less time studying — and increased their long-term retention by 50 percent. The underlying mechanism is what psychologists call sleep-dependent memory consolidation: 'Converging evidence, from the molecular to the phenomenological, leaves little doubt that offline memory reprocessing during sleep is an important component of how our memories are formed and ultimately shaped.' In simple terms, sleeping on it helps your brain file away what you've learned, and makes it easier to access when you need it. That's also true where longer-term memory is concerned. Learning, then getting a good night's sleep, and then learning again is an extremely effective way to boost intelligence and skill. As the researchers write: We found that interleaving sleep between learning sessions not only reduced the amount of practice needed by half but also ensured much better long-term retention. Sleeping after learning is definitely a good strategy, but sleeping between two learning sessions is a better strategy. Say you're learning a new sales demo. After a practice session, say the main bullets of your presentation out loud. Then mentally replay key elements of your presentation. Then predict whether you'll remember what you've learned. Then take a minute or two to zone out. Then get a good night's sleep, do a quick review the next day, and work on the next chunk of information. Rinse and repeat, and neuroscience says you'll spend less time learning — and you'll remember a lot more. Which means you'll be able to do more.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
2 Signs That You're A Conventionally ‘Cool' Person, By A Psychologist
'Cool' people across the world tend to have these six personality traits in common. 'Am I cool?' is a question we've all probably asked ourselves at some point. Or, we may have wondered, 'Do they like me?' or 'Do I fit in?' But do we know what it means to be cool? Does it mean being likeable and socially accepted? Is the meaning the same across cultures? A team of researchers set out to answer these questions in a new large-scale study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. They carried out experiments with over 5900 participants from around the world. Participants were asked to think of someone who they thought was cool, not cool, good, or not good and then rate the personality and values of those people. Their findings were striking: while there's some cultural variation, the core characteristics of 'cool' people are surprisingly consistent across societies. Importantly, these are perceived traits; not necessarily what people are really like, but how they're seen. Researchers also wanted to explore whether being cool is simply another way of saying you like someone or think they're a good person. Their findings revealed that while there is some overlap, perceptions of 'cool' and 'good' are distinct. Based on the research findings, here are the key traits that define a 'cool' person versus a 'good' person. 1. You Question Convention And Strive For Change If you're someone who takes risks based on what you think is right, then you might be on the path to coolness. Researchers found that qualities like extroversion, power, open-mindedness and independence are some of the key traits associated with being cool. Cool people tend to challenge the status quo and embrace new ideas. That is why, researchers argue, coolness thrives in information societies. This is because such societies tend to value ideas, culture and social innovation. 'Our data reveal that cool people are autonomous, adventurous, open, and hedonistic, all of which make a person more likely to seek new and different experiences. Research also suggests a relationship between being cool and being influential,' the researchers noted. This link between coolness and influence helps explain why certain public figures resonate as both daring and aspirational. Take CEOs, for example. When we picture one, the image that often comes to mind is someone stoic and suited, perhaps even rigid, like Bart Bass from Gossip Girl, a fictional billionaire. He may be successful, but he's far from cool or good, given how cold and individualistic he appears. On the other hand, a real-world CEO like Richard Branson might be perceived as cool because he visited outer space. It makes him seem adventurous, exciting and bold. He pushed the boundaries of what's possible for private citizens and challenged the idea that space is only for astronauts or government agencies. At the same time, perceptions of coolness may vary across different age brackets. For instance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk allegedly smoking marijuana on a Joe Rogan podcast may not have sat well with investors and Tesla's stock price drop the day after reflected their sentiments. Yet, the same act may have been perceived as rebellious or cool by younger audiences, particularly college students, who look up to people in power who challenge norms. Again, it also depends on how much effort someone appears to be putting in. For instance, Musk's constant posting on X might strike some as 'trying too hard,' while others enthusiastically consume his content by the hour. 2. You Are Warm, Reliable And Conscientious While a cool person might be agreeable and friendly, it does not necessarily mean they are ethical. Good people embody qualities like calmness, conscientiousness, universalism, agreeableness, warmth, security, tradition and conformity. Such people may not necessarily be influencers or trendsetters, but they are dependable and prosocial. The study found that 9 of the 15 positive traits and values that they assessed were associated with both cool people and good people. Coolness in certain contexts can undermine goodness. For example, someone who's adventurous and thrill-seeking may be admired, but if that same person engages in reckless or selfish behavior (e.g., drug use, cheating, exploitative relationships), they might lose their moral credibility. Moreover, in a society where influence is currency, being perceived as cool may be rewarded more than being good. But, the cost is often paid by those excluded or exploited in the pursuit of personal gain. This is when coolness becomes more performative than it should be. However, people still seek popularity because cool people tend to reap more social rewards. They often receive more attention, admiration and influence. But those same traits, like hedonism or a desire to dominate, can sometimes push them away from traits associated with goodness, like humility or altruism. In a study on high school students' consumption patterns and identity construction, researchers found that consumption was important to those trying to fit in. 'Consumption is becoming more important than anything. Everybody wants Dolce Gabbana, Calvin Klein, and at the same time there is the crowd that cannot pay for a trivial meal at the street vendor,' a 16-year old participant from the study explains. The research suggests that to consume or to dream of consuming creates illusions of belonging to a different social class. People may think that possessing luxury brands will signify higher social status. Ironically, the study found that the 'cool' approach criticizes consumption. Both goodness and coolness can coexist. If you're trying to be a good person, remember to stand your ground, even as you strive to build a better world. But if you're trying to be cool, remember that you do not have to give up on the goodness within you. Ultimately, all you need is to have confidence and the courage to make your own decisions and be your own person. That, arguably, is the coolest thing of all. How self-aware are you about the qualities you possess? Take this science-backed test to find out: Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What do you think makes someone cool?
Researchers think they've worked out which personality traits makes a person 'cool'. They asked 6,000 people from 12 countries to think of someone they thought was cool and not cool and then rate that person's to the study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology the six qualities are: Extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. In other words, it's someone who is outgoing, lives for fun and is independent, making their own decisions. But we want to know what YOU think makes a person cool. Is it the way they interact with people? Is it how they dress? Maybe there's a celebrity you think is really cool - let us know in the comments below!. The history of cool The word 'cool' started out as a way to describe temperature - not too cold and not too hot and it can still be used in this the 16th Century, it had evolved to also describe a person if they were calm and collected. The modern use of the word cool came from black jazz musicians in the was used to describe a person who was rebellious or charismatic and who helped to create social change through things like art or protests. Words continue to evolve over time. You might not even use the word cool - maybe you use sick, sigma, or gucci forget to let us know what you think makes someone cool in the comments - you could even tell us what is totally uncool.
CBC
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
What is the essence of cool? A global study narrows it down to 6 key traits
Cool is cool, no matter where you are in the world. That's the conclusion of a new study that surveyed nearly 6,000 people in 13 different countries about what makes a person cool, and found the answers to be surprisingly universal. "We wanted to [look at] the deeper characteristics associated with cool people. How do those change across cultures?" Caleb Warren, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Arizona, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "We found that, largely, they don't." The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology identifies six perceived traits associated with cool people: extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open and autonomous. And "perceived" is the key word here. "Cool is an impression we have of others," Warren said. "And I think, like other impressions, we form these almost instantaneously." The difference between 'cool' and 'good' The researchers surveyed 5,943 people online between 2018 and 2022 in the United States, Australia, Chile, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. They asked each participant to think of four specific people: someone cool, someone not cool, someone good, and someone not good. They then had the participants fill out questionnaires evaluating the personality traits of those people. "The question we wanted to ask in this research is: Is cool the same or just another way of saying you like someone, or you think they're good?" Warren said. "And so what we tried to do is distinguish cool people from good people." They found there is, indeed, some overlap between the two — but also some very big differences. Broadly, the authors say, good people were described as more agreeable, conforming, traditional, secure, warm, conscientious and calm. "Its not that being bad will make somebody cool," Warren said. "I think being different or distinct or counter-normative is … what ends up making people cool." 'One of the most important American cultural exports' Rebellion is and always has been at the very heart of cool, says author and professor Joel Dinerstein. "Contemporary cool owes everything to rebel counter-cultural movements, from Black jazz musicians to the [Beat Generation] to the punks," he told CBC in an email. Dinerstein has been teaching a class called "The History of Cool" for almost 20 years at Tulane University in New Orleans. He's also the author of The Origins of Cool and curated the National Portrait Gallery exhibit American Cool. He traces the origins of cool to the post-Second World War jazz scene, when Black musicians began "defying racism through language, style, and a nonchalant (cool) demeanour." In fact, he says, it was U.S. jazz saxophonist Lester Young who coined the modern usage of the word. Despite cool's distinctly American origins, Dinerstein wasn't at all surprised by the study's conclusion that cool is a universal concept. "Cool has been a global concept for more than a half-century," he said. "It is one of the most important American cultural exports, along with the nation's music and sports." Even the word "cool" has become universal across different languages, Warren said. "In our survey, we asked people about the word cool without trying to translate it," he said. "And so both the word and meaning have spread around the world, with the meaning largely intact." Is capitalism ruining cool? But as coolness spreads, does it lose its edge? The study's authors say that over the years, coolness has strayed from its counterculture origins and morphed into something "more mainstream" and "commercially friendly," with major brands like Pepsi and Nike turning it into a commodity. But Dinerstein isn't too worried. "I don't think corporate interests ever truly define cool as much as they, or the media, or certain lazy writers think," he said. Francis McAndrew — a social psychologist at Knox College and Illinois who has written about the concept of coolness —agrees. "I don't think that pop culture and advertising are creating the image of what it means to be cool as much as they are relentlessly reminding us about it to sell us stuff," he said. Ultimately, Warren says the value of coolness lies in its power to alter the status quo by raising the social status of people who "are able to move a culture forward by innovating or coming up with new ideas." It's also, he says, not easily manufactured. In a separate research project he's working on, he's found that people who actively try be cool are usually perceived as less cool.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
This is what makes someone ‘cool', according to science
A new study indicates that individuals considered "cool" exhibit six remarkably similar personality traits across various cultures. These universally recognised traits for "cool" people include being extroverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open, and autonomous. The research, involving 6,000 adults from 13 countries and published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that the definition of "cool" is consistent across both Eastern and Western social circles. The study differentiates "cool" from "good", noting that "good" people are typically perceived as more conforming and traditional. Findings suggest that global media, such as fashion, music, and film industries, have helped standardise the meaning of "cool," influencing social hierarchies and cultural evolution.
