Research shows that monitoring your ex on Facebook may make it harder to move on

"The study found that those people who remained Facebook friends with their ex-partner reported lower personal growth, suggesting that it was harder for them to move on. ....

As Dr Marshall pointed out, however, the study was correlational, and could not establish causal direction. For example, those people who are more distressed over a breakup may be more likely to view their ex-partner’s Facebook page."

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/sss/psychology/news-and-events/ne_229119

Is the iPad Creative? It Depends On Who's Buying It

"In a series of studies, consumers perceived products they did not own as different from themselves because they projected their "anti-self" onto them. This was especially true when consumers were made aware of not owning a product (while shopping for it). When consumers who felt they were uncreative were made aware of not owning an Apple computer, they perceived the computer as more creative.

'Products we are attracted to prior to ownership may become less appealing once we feel that they are ours. Companies seeking to induce consumers to feel ownership of products prior to purchase should verify that prospective customers have positive self-regard on relevant personality traits before they induce them to feel product ownership. By doing so, they can reduce the likelihood that this will backfire,' the authors conclude."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305130732.htm

Facebook profiles raise users' self-esteem and affect behavior

"Catalina Toma, a UW-Madison assistant professor of communication arts, used the Implicit Association Test to measure Facebook users' self-esteem after they spent time looking at their profiles, the first time the social psychology research tool has been used to examine the effects of Facebook. The test showed that after participants spent just five minutes examining their own Facebook profiles, they experienced a significant boost in self-esteem. ....

'Performing well in a task can boost feelings of self-worth,' Toma says. 'However, if you already feel good about yourself because you looked at your Facebook profile, there is no psychological need to increase your self-worth by doing well in a laboratory task.'"

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-facebook-profiles-users-self-esteem-affect.html

Avoiding the pitfalls of texting and walking

"'The problem with mobile technology is that it's not designed to be used while you're actually mobile. It involves you stopping, looking at a screen and tapping away.'
Dr Marshall believes that if we want to stop people being distracted by their phones, then designers need to completely rethink how we interact with them. But so far, there is no completely satisfactory alternative."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22631731

Is Google Glass Dangerous?

"Google Glass may allow users to do amazing things, but it does not abolish the limits on the human ability to pay attention. Intuitions about attention lead to wrong assumptions about what we’re likely to see; we are especially unaware of how completely our attention can be absorbed by the continual availability of compelling and useful information. Only by understanding the science of attention and the limits of the human mind and brain can we design new interfaces that are both revolutionary and safe."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/google-glass-may-be-hands-free-but-not-brain-free.html

Getting to the Heart of the Appeal of Video Games

"'A game can be more fun when you get the chance to act and be like your ideal self,' explained Dr. Przybylski. 'The attraction to playing videogames and what makes them fun is that it gives people the chance to think about a role they would ideally like to take and then get a chance to play that role.' .... 'I was heartened by the findings which showed that people were not running away from themselves but running towards their ideals. They are not escaping to nowhere they are escaping to somewhere.'"

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110803133553.htm

Just like me: Online training helpers more effective when they resemble students

"The researchers found that people reported being more engaged and focused on their training when the helper was portrayed by an image that matched both their race and gender. Furthermore, the researchers found that participants liked the helper more – and learned more from the program – when the helper's communication style matched their own in regard to a very specific aspect of giving feedback."

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-online-helpers-effective-resemble-student...