Pacific Standard May-June 2013 Cover

About Tom Jacobs

Staff writer Tom Jacobs is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years experience at daily newspapers. He has served as a staff writer for The Los Angeles Daily News and the Santa Barbara News-Press. His work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Ventura County Star.

How to Entice People to Buy Symphony Tickets

May 21, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
symphony

These are very tough times for America’s orchestras. Symphonies in some cities are facing bankruptcy, while others are contending with nasty labor disputes. Subscriptions—which once provided a reliable funding stream—are declining, with more and more concertgoers opting to buy single tickets. Given those realities, a new analysis of what types of pieces lure people to a concert is of keen interest. In the June issue of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Wagner Kamakura of Duke University and Carl Schimmel of Illinois State University use a sophisticated model to ... Read More

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Female Professionals of 1970s Face Higher Risk of Breast Cancer

May 20, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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A group of feminist trailblazers—women professionals in the 1970s—may be paying a high price for breaking the mold: An increased risk of breast cancer. “We find that women who were in professional and managerial occupations in 1975, at age 36, had a substantially higher risk of a breast cancer diagnosis up to age 72, compared to housewives and lower-status occupations,” writes a research team led by Penn State sociologist Tetyana Pudrovska. The researchers, writing in the journal Social Science and Medicine, cite a combination of factors for this disturbing finding, the largest ... Read More

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Marijuana Buffers Pain of Social Exclusion

May 17, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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Why smoke marijuana? Users would probably reply that numbed-out bliss is its own reward. But if smoothing out the harsh edges of reality is your goal, what bruises are you attempting to avoid? Newly published research suggests that, at least for some, the answer is: The intense discomfort of social exclusion. “Marijuana has been used to treat physical pain,” reports a research team led by University of Kentucky psychologist Timothy Deckman, “and the current findings suggest it may also reduce emotional pain." Given the drug's long-term health effects, “This may reflect a poor ... Read More

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Thoughts of Faith and God Decrease Tolerance for Ambiguity

May 16, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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It’s clear that religious faith confers a variety of benefits. Being part of a community of fellow believers has been shown to boost both mental and physical health. But at what cost? New research suggests one disturbing answer: Thoughts of faith and God apparently spur people to view the world in black-or-white terms. A just-published study finds exposure to Christian concepts or imagery increases one’s intolerance for ambiguity. This dynamic was demonstrated in a variety of experiments conducted in three different countries: Germany, Austria, and the United States. Writing in ... Read More

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Jolie’s Mastectomy: Celebrities Serve as Medical Role Models

May 14, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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Will Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo a double mastectomy influence the medical decisions of others? Research on a similar high-profile case, also featuring an influential public figure, suggests it very well might—at least in the short term. In October 1987, first lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy after a cancerous lesion was discovered on one of her breasts. The operation generated massive news coverage and prompted a debate over whether, by opting for such a radical procedure, she was sending a message to American women: The best way to respond to breast ... Read More

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Unable to Grasp Alternative Viewpoints? Chill Out.

May 13, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
perspective

Having trouble coming to terms with a contrary colleague or disgruntled member of the family? Do you just seem to be talking past one another? Your first impulse might be to sit down and talk things out over a cup of coffee. Bad idea. Newly published research suggests warm temperatures inhibit our ability to get beyond our own egocentric perspective and see things from a different point of view. “We show that perspective-taking is enhanced when participants are exposed to cooler rather than warmer temperature cues,” writes a research team led by Claudia Sassenrath of the ... Read More

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Swimsuit Issue Aside, ‘Sports Illustrated’ Cover Is a Female-Free Zone

May 9, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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That recent Sports Illustrated cover featuring Jason Collins was, in one obvious respect, a landmark. But in another way, it was business as usual for the venerable weekly. The openly gay Collins is, after all, a man—and men are featured on the cover of SI about 95 percent of the time. That’s the conclusion of recently published research, which finds that, from 2000 through 2011, women appeared on just 4.9 percent of Sports Illustrated covers. "SI covers have both reflected and swayed their audiences toward corporate sport, particularly lucrative football, basketball, baseball, and ... Read More

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How Positive Emotions Lead to Better Health

May 8, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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We’ve all experienced downward spirals, in which dark emotions lead to destructive behavior that damages our health, strains our relationships, and leaves us feeling even worse than when we started. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an uplifting equivalent to that destructive chain of events? Newly published research suggests there is. What’s more, this delightful dynamic helps explain the well-documented link between joy, appreciation, and good health. “Positive emotion, positive social connections, and physical health influence one another in a self-sustaining, upward-spiral ... Read More

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Supermarkets: Enter Hungry, Exit With Chips and Chocolate

May 6, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
shopping-cookies

You know the cliché that it’s unwise to shop for food when you’re hungry? New research suggests it’s absolutely true. Two experiments—one in a lab, another that tracked actual supermarket purchases—provide evidence that famished food shoppers don’t necessarily buy more items, but the ones that end up in their carts are less likely to come from the health-food or produce aisles. “Even short-term food deprivation can lead to a shift in choices, such that people choose less low-calorie, and relatively more high-calorie food options,” write Cornell University food ... Read More

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The Mating Advantage of Male Musicians

May 6, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
male-musician

For women, it seems, there’s something about a man holding an instrument. That’s the conclusion of a just-published study from France, which found a man is more attractive to the opposite sex if there’s a guitar in his hand. Its results confirm the findings of a similar study from Israel published last year. Across cultures, the research would suggest, male musicians are viewed as promising mating material. The more recent study, in France, was conducted by a team of researchers led by Nicolas Guéguen of the Universite de Bretagne-Sud, and published in the journal Psychology of ... Read More

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