Stings by imported red fire ants don’t (though maybe do) induce some mental health problems in humans—the yes or no of it depending on one’s inclination and interpretation—suggests this study: “Mental Health Effects Caused by Red Imported Fire Ant Attacks (Solenopsis invicta),” Lei Wang, Yongyue Lu, Ripeng Li, Ling Zeng, Junling Du, Xiong Huang, Yijuan […]
Tag: mental
Unresolvable human mental states (based on a parallel universe theory)
“A mental state with respect to a situation composed by multiplying two situations equals the sum of mental states for each situation. A mental state with respect to a situation composed by dividing two situations equals the difference between mental states for each situation.” So explain professor Changsoo Shin and colleagues at the Department of […]
Some observations on the mental powers of spiders
Behold, from 1887, a disquisition on certain powers of certain multi-legged individuals: “Some observations on the mental powers of spiders,” George W. and Elizabeth G. Peckham, Journal of Morphology, vol. 1, no. 2 (1887): 383-419. The Peckhams say, early on: “So, also, we have found that to learn anything of the mental processes of spiders […]
Mind, the Gap
Some British psychiatrists are going to war with some British psychologists, suggests an article by Jamie Doward in The Observer. The article sports this headline, subheadline, and first paragraphs: Psychiatrists under fire in mental health battle British Psychological Society to launch attack on rival profession, casting doubt on biomedical model of mental illness There is no […]
Excelling at use of a mental abacus, and words, too
“In this clip the two girls are adding up 30 digits in 20 seconds while simultaneously playing ‘shiritori‘, a Japanese game in which you must say a word beginning with the last syllable of the previous word,” says the report by Alex Bellos, in The Guardian. The subhead on the article explains: “Flash Anzan, in […]
Dirty blackboards, psychologically
Blackboard research, then and now: “The Blackboard as an Analytic Accessory,” G.V. Hamilton, Psychoanalytical Review, vol. 20, 1933, pp. 388-400. The author explains: ” My acceptance of Freud’s theory of mind came slowly. I now know that over a period of nearly two decades I was unconsciously resisting its implications and that facts which seemed […]
Double-Edged Therapeutic Value of Karaoke
“Karaoke Therapy in the Rehabilitation of Mental Patients,” C.M. Leung, G. Lee, B. Cheung, E. Kwong, Y.K. Wing, C.S. Kan, and J. Lau, Singapore Medical Journal, vol. 39, no. 4, April 1998, pp. 166–8. The authors, at Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, conclude that [AIR 16:1]: “Karaoke therapy may be more […]
Calling all mental models
Are you a mental model, or do you have a mental model? If so, then Farnam Street (their modest motto is “What the smartest people on the internet read”) wants to hear from you. They say: Help! Mental Model Index We need your help to ensure we have the most comprehensive list of mental models. […]