The rise and fall of paranormal experimentation

"If you think your house is haunted, you don't need an exorcist, you just need a sceptic. Because I guarantee if I come along, nothing will happen."

Wikipedia is corrupting science with blowjobs and elves, scientists warn

"One commenter on the journal article notes that 'the authors seem to falsely correlate the number of changes to an article and the veracity of those changes' – the researchers assume that all changes are, by their nature, inaccurate and negative. But the pages with more changes are also areas of constant research. It's understandable that as the field of climate change develops, its Wikipedia page would too."

Why the World's Remaining Hunter-Gatherer Societies Are Some of the Biggest Pot Smokers

"Countless rituals have developed around food that do not relate to nutrition. The same goes for sex, clothing, shelter and other utilitarian behaviors. All these behaviors are (and were) essential to survival and reproduction, but we humans have a tendency to elaborate everything. We think the same might be true of recreational drugs."

Learning Might Buffer Brain Against Addiction

"At first, all the mice overwhelmingly returned to the chamber where they had presumably enjoyed the cocaine. But in subsequent weekly drug seeking tests, the mice who had received cognitive training showed less preference for the chamber where they had been high on cocaine. And that pattern continued."

The "Institutional Corruption" of Psychiatry

"Again, this is part of the 'institutional corruption' lens we were using to study the institution of psychiatry and its behavior. The assumption is that individuals within the institution can't see that their behavior has been corrupted by 'economies of influence.' And so, when those outside the institution begin pointing out the corruption in it, those within it may construct a narrative that protects their self-image. In this case, psychiatrists need to protect their image as honest researchers and as physicians who put the interests of their patients first. Cognitive dissonance theory reveals that there are a myriad of ways that people protect themselves in this manner."

Where are the missing mystics of the revolution?

"To the extent that opportunities for these interactions are spread through larger communities, social mysticism has the potential to undermine the wider social order in truly radical ways. Those who are used to looking up to see if collective action is successful should also look out and in to understand the power of change that’s inherent in mystical experience."

How Religious and Spiritual Beliefs Relate to Cancer Patients’ Physical, Mental, and Social Well-Being

"To date, this series of meta-analyses represents the most comprehensive summary and synthesis of a rapidly growing area of psychosocial oncology: the role of religion and spirituality for patients and survivors managing the experience of cancer."