People who experienced head injuries in their 50s or younger score lower than expected on cognitive tests at age 70, according to a study led by UCL researchers.
Credit: UPF
ften, humans display biases, i.e., unconscious tendencies towards a type of decision. Despite decades of study, we are yet to discover why biases are so persistent in all types of decisions. Biases can help us make better decisions when we use them correctly in an action that has previously given us great reward. However, in other cases, biases can play against us, such as when we repeat actions in situations when it would be better not to , says Rubén Moreno Bote, coordinator of the UPF Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory.
In these cases, decisions are guided by tendencies, or inclinations, that do not benefit our wellbeing. For example, playing the lottery more regularly after winning a small consolation prize is a common bias that unfortunately does not tend to improve our financial situation.
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports, published by Nature, has gauged the impact of the measures taken during the first and second waves of the virus on citizens of three European Union countries (Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom). The study concludes that the shock produced by the situation has reduced people s cognitive capacity, leading them to take more risks, despite the risk of contagion, and make poorer choices, including a tendency to be less altruistic and the desire to punish others.
Yale-NUS College alumna Ms Joanna Chue (Class of 2019) and Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Psychology) Cheung Hoi Shan demonstrated that college students possessing a higher degree of resilience were less susceptible to burnout and psychological distress. By identifying learnable components of resilience, the study points to concrete ways that young adults can learn this vital characteristic, resulting in better mental health outcomes.
Forecasting changes in stock prices may be possible with the help of brain activity in regions associated with how people feel before making investment choices. Scientists could accurately forecast market price changes based on the average brain activity among a group but failed when using only prior stock trends or people s investment choices, according to new research published in JNeurosci.