Laugh a little with numerology

Numerological claims to determine personality, life and "fate" of people from their name, surname and date of birth. Some people may try to make you believe that the calculations made by numerologists are complicated, but it is not. Instead, everything is made ​​by numerologist CM1 program, since no more than the Euclidean division by 9.

The arguments against numerology are numerous. I give a few in my book When the numbers are losing the ball. If you read English, you tend to see the impressive work but very readable Underwood Dudley, Numerology: Or What Pythagoras Wrought, which is much more complete.

The comedians have found, through numerology, a topic of choice. André Sauvé and his delightful art of the unspoken and silence or Florence Foresti, always good at playing with words.

Macaques Democrats?

A macaque Tonkean. (source)
Odile Petit is "behavioral scientist" at CNRS. She summarized research on various collective behaviors of primates (and other animals - in the second part of issue) on the air of France Culture, December 27, 2010, in issuing Continent Science.

The researcher traced the issue essentially an outline of the social organization of macaques Tonkean. In these animals, the dominant individuals alone do not determine the behavior of groups, such as travel. Instead, group members seem to suggest directions of movement. Odile Petit and his collaborators were able to show that the collective decisions of the group are under a system which can be likened to a form of democracy, far from the tyrannies that usually imagined in primates.

The concepts of quorum and vote "are advanced by ethologists. For more information on this exciting business, you can read a paper in French by Bernard Thierry, or see this article in English, published in 2009. Also read the book I help myself either, appeared Vuibert.

The social space of faces

Although morphopsychology, which intends to describe the personality from the shape of faces, does not seem very scientific (eg wikipedia or this article), we use every day in an intuitive morphopsychology.

The faces in particular give us an impression more or less dominance and reliability. It concludes that Alexander Todorov, a researcher at Princeton, in a recent article. Todorov shows through factor analysis that dominance and reliability are the two main factors that help classify the faces according to the idea that personality is associated.

The image above shows these two characteristics. We see that the dominance is associated with the character "square" face, and reliability to smile more than the intrinsic shape of the face. Other features of the faces are more or less consensual, as the attractiveness (more or less attractive), or the threat.

Todorov goes further, explaining that some of the faces give, when they are neutral, a feeling of joy or anger. We tend to assign personality traits corresponding to the character ... often wrong.

Effect "White Bear"

Daniel Wegner, a researcher at the University of Virginia at the time, is known for an experience of 1987, which highlights some aspects of intrusive thoughts and how they may turn into obsessions, an important point for study of OCD (obsessive compulsive).

Wegner asked participants to say, for 5 minutes, everything was going through their head. As a group, especially not asked to think of a polar bear (read the article by Wegner, 1987). In another, among other things to think about a white bear. The results are that participants often cite the polar bear when you ask them not to think that when they are told to think. This "ironic effect" (read this article Wegner, 1994) explains why the intrusive thoughts can become true obsession: trying not to think about it, it reinforces them.

In another experiment, Wegner shows that an effective strategy is to set a specific distractor: it has got less polar bears by asking participants to think of a red car at the prospect that the bear stood . Jacques van Rillaer exposes French experiences in a recent article published in Science and pseudo-science.

Implementation of a virtual space

In this new stage of the Ateneo de Malaga one of the projects is the implementation of a virtual space that allows the network to develop an important part of our activities. This is intended to fulfill the objective of promoting public participation in cultural activity in Manchester and make innovation a hallmark of the institution.

Since then no one can imagine today the exercise of cultural diffusion without an active presence on the network, and therefore the idea of ​​setting up a virtual aspect to the maximum possible relevance is presented as a priority. And it is this digital dimension is connected with the real and not independent of it, even that is coexisting in some events.

The first step in this initiative is the creation of a collective blog in which a first step write the members of the Board of the University of Malaga and later opened to the participation of cultural figures of our city. It is intended to open a public space and building a communication channel with citizens who enrich the cultural life of Malaga with the contributions of those who want to add a bit for the project.

Therefore we encourage you here to let either as comments along with an article, contribute to the growth of this blog who has just arrived.

Barack Obama is the sign of the element Metal Ox

Result of an ancient wisdom, Chinese astrology encourages everyone to realize the potential it has. The Wise beyond his stars say. Must still gain this insight, without which this distance is locked up in a relentless destiny. According to the legend of the animal cycle, Buddha, before leaving this Earth, invited all animals to say goodbye. Twelve species only responded to his call. What are the components of Chinese zodiac, like the twelve channels of wisdom always present.

For the Sage East, no path is good or bad. Everyone can and must develop its potentialities. The first key is to understand yourself ...

Your Chinese sign is the buffalo or beef, depending on the country. You are very sensitive to the modes and ambient currents: refractory, you avoid like the plague society life that you consider a waste of time, preferring to keep your distance and act alone.

In many circumstances, you demonstrate composure uncommon. We can also give you confidence you inspire more confidence than others around you. The sense of responsibility you avoid the mistakes others often make reckless.

True to your principles, your loves and projects, you behave with discipline and hard, leaving no escape without a fight. Besides, you can not bear failure and show even in this case a persistence bordering on stubbornness. The tenacity and stubbornness can become hard-line. Whatever! There is agreement to rent your qualities of courage and endurance.

Your patience has its limits ... It is thus risky to provoke your anger, we know few but daunting. You keep in mind the possible attacks you have been waiting for hours to let your voice methodically your grudges.