Doctor Stu's Blog
Science
The psychological cost of being a stripper
A few days ago I heard an interesting radio debate. Following the news that footballer Mario Balotelli was caught out visiting a strip club, BBC Radio 5 Live held a late-night telephone discussion about the rights and wrongs of ‘gentlemen’s clubs’. A feminist speaker argued that such establishments unfairly degrade women. Opposing her, a female … Continue reading
Most people think dreams predict the future. Do you?
Freud told us that dreams are the ‘royal road to the unconscious’. Many religions say that dreams are a way to hear from a higher power. But how many of us in today’s secular culture actually believe that? More than you might expect. If you thought most people ignored their dreams – you would be wrong. … Continue reading
Drinking Alcohol makes you pee more – but how much?
Too much tipple and you’ll know about it the next day. The dreaded hangover – headaches, fatigue and nausea are normal Sunday morning sensations for many a Saturday night reveller. Dehydration is frequently said to be the reason for hangover symptoms – and some swear that a pint of tap water before bed thwarts any alcohol-induced … Continue reading
Is it good to listen to music at work?
There’s one thing you notice whenever you come back from camping. The noise. In the car, the shops, the gym: the beat of a drum, the strum of a guitar, the sound of synth – it can feel like we live world of tunes. Arrive at work and what do we do? Turn the radio … Continue reading
The Debt we owe to Dyslexia: Are you reading this correctly?
Most of us think dyslexia is a bad thing. At school I had a friend who was told by a teacher that he was “thick” and “wouldn’t achieve anything in life”. Not because he was stupid (he was, and still is, extremely intelligent) but because his reading and writing abilities were horrendous. Things have thankfully … Continue reading
26 reasons not to trust what you read in the newspaper
So we all know we shouldn’t believe everything we read. Tabloids and science have never been the best of bed fellows (or should that be tabloids and the truth?). But just how widespread is fallacious newspaper reporting? An intriguing little investigation from University College Chester made an attempt to measure the terribleness (or not) of … Continue reading
Are Bible-bashers scientifically stupid?
It never used to be like this. Sir Isaac Newton, one of the influential scientists to grace the Earth would be horrified. An outspoken Bible-believer, Newton believed that his observations of the Universe made the existence of God irrefutable. How times change. ‘New Atheism’ is the increasingly popular movement within top science thinkers. Its advocates say … Continue reading
New Research says: Men Think About Sex More Often Than Women. Really?
If you want to do some headline-grabbing research it doesn’t get much better than this. Recent research published in the Journal of Sex Research (yes, I was surprised it existed as well) from the University of Ohio tries to give the most accurate-to-date answer to the age old stereotype of whether men really think about … Continue reading
Forget a ‘broken society’ – did Boredom cause the London Riots?
The official report on the reasons behind last year’s riots in the UK will be published tomorrow. It concludes that half a million families in the UK aren’t getting the support they need. It also points the finger at poor parenting, and materialism brought on by advertising. But perhaps there is a more basic, scientific … Continue reading
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