Help reconstruct Japan
developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
Should You Let Your Kid Date in Middle/High School? Science Gives a Surprising AnswerYoung love can show you things about yourself you've never known. It can bring you to…
In Japan, Strangers are More Likely than Family to Give CPR for Cardiac ArrestWhen it comes to Japanese people giving CPR to someone suffering a cardiac arrest, it…
Power and Rape – Part 2: How to Create a Breeding Ground for Sex OffendersAs I mentioned in Part 1, rape is tolerated in the military because the acknowledgment of…
Power and Rape – Part 1: Rape in the Military is a Career Killer… for the VictimIf you ever wanted to know just how bad "blaming the victim" can get, look no further than the…
Does Chewing Gum Help You Concentrate?If you want to be a rocket scientist, you might want to start chewing that stick of gum.…
Possessed by Demons, Animals, and Nonsense"Japan doesn't have that stuff. That's more of a Western thing." Just like I constantly…
SATIRAN – Part 3: “Judicial Theatre,” or Judgment for the 2010 IsraeliIn May 2010, the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" was sent to give humanitarian aid and…
Study: Close Relationships Aren’t Necessarily BetterIt makes sense, doesn't it? The closer you are to someone, the better your relationship…
Are Religious People More Charitable, Generous, and Altruistic than Atheists?According to a Canadian study from 2008, religious people are "more helpful, honest and…
Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Differences in Social Networking Site UsageOnline social networks has become an interesting platform for research, and hundreds if…
Category Archives: Medicine & Health
In Japan, Strangers are More Likely than Family to Give CPR for Cardiac Arrest
When it comes to Japanese people giving CPR to someone suffering a cardiac arrest, it appears as though water is actually thicker than blood. A recent review of 547,218 cases of cardiac arrests in Japan between 2005 and 2009 was presented at the American Heart Association. The results were surprising, to say the least. But why would this possibly be the case? How could a family member be so less helpful in this time of emergency?
Power and Rape – Part 1: Rape in the Military is a Career Killer… for the Victim
If you ever wanted to know just how bad “blaming the victim” can get, look no further than the U.S. military. It’s clear that blaming and shaming has gone far beyond just making someone have to live with a stigma that they completely don’t deserve – which is bad enough. Rather, the problem is a systematic denial of justice, a protection of the perpetrator, and an outright pursuit of punishing the victim. If this type of discrimination happened in the public sphere, people would be completely outraged; but what is it about this military culture that allows such behavior to go unpunished?
Posted in Culture, Legal Issues, Medicine & Health, Psychology, Science, Sex and Sexuality
Tagged America, crime, discrimination, homosexuality, military, rape, sex, sexual harassment, stigma
1 Comment
Vaccine Psychology – Part 1: Vaccine Price Influences Perceived Risk of Infection
Even the adults who are rational enough to know that vaccines are a good thing (as opposed to the horribly misguided anti-vaccination movement) are still susceptible to the irrationalities of our own psychology. A study published earlier this month from Tulane University in New Orleans, America, has found that the cost of getting vaccinated influences people’s perception of how likely they are to contract a virus.
Tortured Confessions – The Science of Waterboarding, Torture, and “Intense Stress”
With the new movie “Zero Dark Thirty” raising a lot of eyebrows with its depiction of waterboarding, there has been a lot of talk regarding the veracity of such techniques. Namely, does torture yield the intended results? Did the results assist in the hunt for Osama bin Laden? There are the anecdotes that make this an interesting case to look at, but we also have the science to give a more conclusive answer to the question of whether or not waterboarding works.
Posted in Culture, Media, Medicine & Health, Neuroscience, Psychology, Science
Tagged America, false confessions, interrogations, Osama bin Laden, stress, terrorism, torture, waterboarding
Leave a comment
Say “Tata” to Unwanted Wrinkles and Slap the Years Right Off Your Face!
Are you willing to pay $350 in the name of beauty? Do you have no sense of scientific literacy and want to get a quick fix? Do believe that anything coming from the “mythical land of the East” is magical? Then welcome to Tata Massage, where trained specialists are waiting to literally slap the wrinkles away! These Thai specialists are waiting to smack some sense into you, and some wrinkles out of you. So come on down to the new store in San Francisco, California, where Tata Massage celebrated their grand opening on October 23rd! Or, you know… don’t.
Posted in Biographical, Culture, Medicine & Health, Psychology, Science, Skepticism
Tagged alternative medicine, America, comedy, prostitution, satire, violence
Leave a comment
Shinya Yamanaka, stem cells, and the Next Generation of Medicine
Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka has been a big name in science for years, but now his research has finally been validated by the Nobel committee. He and British researcher John Gurdon and Yamanaka have just been awarded the Nobel prize in medicine ”for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.” Because of their discoveries, the science of cellular biology has evolved, textbooks have been rewritten, and new fields of study have been invented. After more specific research, doctors will be able to heal things that we never thought could be fixed, and change the way medicine is practiced.
Posted in Biographical, Biology & Evolution, Japan, Medicine & Health, Science
Tagged diseases, medicine, stem cells, UK
1 Comment
Does Drinking Make College/University Students Happier?
A study on the social life of binge drinkers in college was published a month ago, and it’s not a good sign for the health of students. In short, binge drinkers reported being more satisfied with their social lives than their non-binging counterparts. Furthermore, the higher a student’s social status was, the higher the probability of binge drinking was. But before we speculatively run away with these findings, we have to be careful when interpreting them.
Posted in Culture, Featured, Medicine & Health, Psychology, Science, Social Psych
Tagged alcohol, binge drinking, friendship, happiness
5 Comments
Oh, For the Love of Smoking!
Why do people smoke when they know that smoking is bad for themselves? Reasons range from self-deception to “ignorance is bliss.” A popular video-advertisement from Thailand recently broadcasted the hypocrisy and foolishness of smokers, by sending children to ask for lighters. The love affair with smoking is intense, and quitting always seems so hard for smokers. One writer says that smoking “gives me something to look forward to every morning, allows me to remove myself from dull conversations at parties and dinners and miraculously helps me both relax and concentrate all at once. Every one is like a little hug.” How do you compete with that?
Posted in Culture, Medicine & Health, Science
Tagged advertisements, documentaries, smoking
3 Comments
Guns in America – Part 1: The Current State of Gun Violence
With thousands of Americans dying from gun violence each year, it seems that such stories are in the news so often that – paradoxically – it’s rarely ever news anymore. However, high-profile cases such as the recent shooting in Aurora, Colorado has brought gun crimes back into the media spotlight. The response to this event has in some ways been predictable, and in other ways mind-boggling. There’s no telling what it’s going to take for Americans to have a real debate about gun control, but it’s important for everyone, because American guns have a way of affecting people outside the country as well.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Legal Issues, Media, Medicine & Health, TED
Tagged America, comedians, guns, Mexico, politics, violence
Leave a comment
Doctors Make Mistakes… Even the Preventable Ones
Five months after coming in for surgery to remove a section of his intestines, Nelson Bailey had come back because he still felt a lot of pain. Festering silently within his body for almost half a year was a sponge the size of a washcloth that the surgeon accidentally left. Stories like this are all too common, as a quick Google search demonstrates with ease. The fact of the matter is that there are a lot of mistakes – including very easily preventable ones – that doctors make, and it is taking a toll on patients’ health (not to mention the economic toll). So why, after years of rigorous medical training, are there still doctors making mistakes, and will we ever be able to receive medical care in an error-less hospital?