Life of the Rich & Famous: The Psychology of Celebrity Worship
April 9, 2014
Channel E!, JustJared.com, US Magazine, TMZ, People Magazine, the list is endless, the obsession with celebrities is everywhere, it has become a part of our lives. “Did you see the dress Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the red carpet last weekend?” “Did you see what JLaw did at the Oscars last night?” The lives of …
From the Jungle to Vienna
April 2, 2014
It’s a beautiful spring day in Vienna, Austria, and I am enjoying a cup of Wiener Melange (a type of famous coffee here) in a café, and I will be here for the next three months to collect data for my research and working at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Vienna with …
Photoshop and Real Beauty
March 26, 2014
Has Photoshopped images of models and public figures gone too far? With the recent rise of celebrities taking a stand against digitally altered photographs of themselves (e.g. Kate Winslet slamming GQ magazine back in 2005 for making her body unrealistically thin, Brad Pitt requesting for unedited portraits for his W Magazine cover in 2009), and …
Life of an Intern: Cerca Insights, Penang
March 19, 2014
Last summer, two of our undergraduate students had the opportunity to intern at Cerca Insights, Penang, a Contract Research Organization (CRO) which specialized in behavioral pharmacology. Here are the summaries of their internship experiences: Marine Alneel (Year 3 Student in BSc (Hons) Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience): The opportunity of interning at Cerca Insights definitely was …
Life of an Intern – Memory & EEG
March 12, 2014
When I initially read the e-mail announcing various internship opportunities available over the summer break, my mind immediately got into action. I was extremely determined to secure a position as a summer intern and thus started going over the research interests of our faculty members. While doing so, a clear, easy decision was made. And …
Facebook’s Got Love On Its’ Mind
February 26, 2014
It’s remarkable what data from social media can tell us. Case in point, Facebook published a plug post on Valentine’s Day this year, detailing about how they have collected statistical evidence that hints at a budding relationship before the relationship has even started. Facebook explored interactions between couples before and after the relationship has begun …
Modern Day Slaves
February 19, 2014
TIME recently covered a story on an Indonesian domestic worker Erwiana Sulistyaningsih who left for Hong Kong with the hopes of making a good living and helping her family to make ends meet. Her efforts were cut short as months later, the 23-year old returned home with bruises replacing her delicate face and open sores …
Sternberg on Love
February 12, 2014
I asked my six year old niece, “What do you love most besides your parents?” Her answer was everything in PINK! I got the same response from my four year old neighbor Gracie and according to my mom; I loved dressing in pink as a tubby four year old so much that I ended up …
Superstitions & Rituals
January 30, 2014
It’s that time of the year once again where jovial Chinese tunes are played on the radio and in the malls, mandarin oranges are sold in almost all departmental stores, and the colour red sweeps across the nation. These are just a few signs that Chinese New Year is once again upon us. Chinese New …
Of Memory, Dance and How Visualization Helps
January 22, 2014
Dance, although it appears easy and seamless as a dancer glides or bounces across the stage so effortlessly, it is physically and cognitively demanding. Regardless of the type of dance, may it be ballroom or breakdance, jazz or ballet…all these movements require different levels of such demands. What goes into creating movements in a routine …