The Psychology of Superstitious Beliefs in Lucky Objects

Researchers at the Tulane University and at Boston University published a study to determine how superstitious beliefs on lucky objects affect how people achieve a performance goal compared to a learning goal.

Performance goals are goals where success is dependent on other people like an applause after a performance or getting good grades after taking a test. Learning goals are judged internally like learning to play a guitar and mastering a music piece.

The researchers conducted six experiments to test whether superstitious beliefs and behaviors have an affect on the type of achievement goal.

They studied participants behavior in using "lucky" items to achieve a goal on various conditioning trials. They also noted participants choices in using these items given their certainty/uncertainty of achieving the goal as well as measuring their confidence in reaching that goal.

They find that participants who are primed for a performance goal strongly prefer using lucky items compared to participants who are primed to pursue a learning goal. Participants who were assigned to use a lucky item have more confidence in achieving a performance goal but not a learning goal.

The researchers, in their study, did not cover whether the belief in these superstitions have an actual effect on performance but do note an increase in the subjects confidence when participating in the trials. There were no reported performance improvements on the study trials.

Their research is published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Self Control Based On Pleasure And Is Not A Limited Resource

A study states that self control is based on a person's priorities and personal enjoyment rather than it being a limited resource.

Self control can be defined as a process where emotions, thoughts, and feelings are overruled to adapt to a certain situation or moment. It was believed that self control is a supply resource that can be depleted.

The paper published in the Cell Press publication Trends in Cognitive Sciences show that self control is not in short supply and that fatigue is not a factor in hindering self control. It is a shift in priorities that is the obstacle as the authors of the paper see self control as more pleasure oriented instead of one that is based on obligation.

Rather than looking at a self control based activity such as dieting as something that has to be done, it is best to look at it as something that is enjoyable like finding a diet partner or thinking of how fun it would be to be fit and healthy.

Aside from that, planning for the times when self control falters, avoiding temptations, and taking a break and rest when tired would help in maintaining control.

Largest Scientific Study on Effectiveness of Online Video Advertising Presented at Internet Conference

University of Massachusetts Amherst presented a study on the effectiveness of video advertising as an economic, sustainable and profitable media platform. The study covered 275 million ads from in 367 million videos. With over 3,000 publishers and 65 million viewers, this study is the largest ever done on video advertising.

UMass researchers used Akamai's media analytics platform to study a 15 day period in April 2013 of anonymized viewer data to come up with their observation.

The study noted several factors such as the duration of the ad, where the ad is inserted, and viewer behavior while the ad is showing. It is even observed that weekend and evening viewing scored higher than regular days. Also, a 10 to 15 second fast loading video ad inserted in the middle of a video has a higher completion rate especially if the visitor is a repeat visitor on the site.

The findings of the study will be presented at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Internet Measurement Conference in Barcelona.

Online video is one of the largest source of internet traffic and companies like YouTube are taking advantage of the opportunities it presents for advertising.

Research on Chocolate, Wine, and other Antioxidant Rich Foods Highlighted by American Chemical Society Symposium

The health benefits of antioxidants found in some food such as chocolate, tea, red wine, fruits and vegetables was the topic presented at a symposium by the American Chemical Society during its 246th National Meeting & Exposition.

Antioxidants are substances that are known to have health benefits that include reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. These protect cells against molecules produced by the body that damages cells known as free radicals.

The symposium,"Phenolic Derivatives for Food and Human Health", focuses on the antioxidant substances found in red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, coffee, tea, and other foods and dietary supplements that are believed to bring about a healthy and long life.

Topics during the symposium include:

• The healthful effects of curcumin, found naturally in the spice, turmeric
• Substances in dried ginger that kill cancer cells
• How large intestine microbes interact with cranberry antioxidants in the diet
• Using biotechnology to make more effective antioxidants

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

High Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Promotes Calm, Positive and Happy Behavior

Research published in the British Journal of Health Psychology show that high fruit and vegetable consumption promotes a happier and positive mood behavior among young people.

Fruits and vegetables are the dietary source for phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds that are produced by plants.

There is wide belief that phytochemicals like anti-oxidants and carotenoids have a beneficial effect on the body. Laboratory studies suggest that these nutrients may reduce the risk of cancer. Most claims covering phytochemicals are just observational studies. Without any evidence based study, the US FDA restricts the promotion of health claims of the product.

Despite this, anti-oxidants like resveratrol (an anti-oxidant with anti-aging claims) are fast becoming popular over the counter nutritional supplement.

A recent study also published in the British Journal of Health Psychology showed a lower risk of depression in people with high carotenoid levels.

Re-Evaluating The Marshmallow Test By Factoring In Reliability of Test Environment

Study reenactment: Evelyn Rose, 4 of Brighton, NY participates in a reenactment of the marshmallow experiment used in a University of Rochester study published in the journal Cognition. The study was conducted at the University of Rochester Baby Lab.
Credit: J. Adam Fenster / University of Rochester

The marshmallow test is regarded as one of the most successful behavioral experiments.

In the test, a marshmallow was offered to a child; for brevity, consider a male child. If the child could control himself from eating the marshmallow, he was told that he would be given two instead of one. The test lies on how long the child can resist from eating the marshmallow.