Pacific Standard March-April 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.

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

More like this: Findings, Science
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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

More like this: BLOGS, Health
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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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Conference Call: What’s Happening in May and June—and Why It Matters

May 3, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
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MAY 17-19 HackMiami 2013 Hackers Conference (Miami, Florida) Information-security professionals join nerds and novices to discuss “cutting-edge tools, techniques, and methodologies ... at the forefront of the global threatscape.” Fun events include a bitcoin hackathon, a “robot-building village,” and a “shootout” that “will feature both network pentesting scanners and Web-application security scanners to see which ones discover the most exploitable vulnerabilities in predetermined targets.” We know where our money will be. JUNE 4-5 DSM-5 and the Future of Psychiatric ... Read More

More like this: Culture, May-June 2013
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Fame, Once Established, Is Not Fleeting

May 2, 2013 • By • Leave a Comment
jagger

According to artist Andy Warhol’s much-quoted prophecy, in the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes. In fact, it’s more likely that 0.15 percent of us will have fame for a lifetime. Newly published research concludes that, contrary to Warhol’s prediction, genuine celebrity status does not disappear as quickly as it appeared. Once you become famous, you tend to stay famous. “Fame exhibits strong continuity even in entertainment, on television, and on blogs, where it has been thought to be most ephemeral,” writes a research team led by Stony Brook University ... Read More

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