How Our Minds Warp Our Perception of Time on Vacation

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We’ve all heard the colloquialism “time flies when you are having fun,” but a new study has found that anticipation of a fun event also makes it feel like it is over too soon.

The researchers found that people view future positive events as both further away and shorter in duration when compared to negative or neutral events.

The study authors stated that these two elements have an unusual effect when people think about a positive event like a vacation. The interminable waiting compiled with the feeling that the event will be done too quickly makes them view the beginning and the end of the event as similarly far from the present.

Simply stated, in our minds the vacation has no duration, it is over instantaneously. Another affect this all has on the mind is it makes the mind believe the endpoints of positive and negative events are both distant from the present. Anticipating a negative event, like a work trip we don’t want to go on, reserves the effect, people feel like the negative event will happen immediately and last forever.

The Journal of Consumer Psychology will publish the paper online.

 

The Message Matters: OSU Studies Social Media Posts

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A new study found that people are better persuaded by the messages of social media post more so than by how many other users have viewed the post.

The study found that when people watched a YouTube video that was for or against e-cigarettes their amount of persuasion wasn’t affected by how many people viewed the video even if the difference was between a million views or fewer than 20.

What persuaded viewers’ opinion of the message was their perception of how truthful or believable the video was.

While some might have expected it, there was no bandwagon effect, meaning viewers believed something to be true just because lots of other people watched it. The message itself was far more important.

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Emotionally Difficult Movies Help People Navigate Life, According to OSU Study

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Watching meaningful, moving or emotionally stirring films can help people feel more prepared to deal with the challenges in life or even want to be a better person, this according to a new study from OSU.

The results of the study suggest one reason why we choose to see movies that run the gamut of emotions (happy to sad) and that explore difficult subjects that aren’t necessarily uplifting.

The findings point to one reason why people may choose to see movies that make them sad as well as happy and that may explore difficult subjects that aren’t always uplifting.

Researchers discovered that people associated positive reactions like being better able to accept the human condition or deal with life’s problems when watching a film like The Shawshank Redemption but reported these experiences less with films like Catch Me if You Can.

Meaningful movies, according to the study authors, help people cope with difficulties in their own lives and help them want to seek more significant goals.

 

OSU Scientists Help Identify Largest Saber-Toothed Cat Known to History

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In a new study scientist describe newly discovered saber tooth tiger—it lived in North America between 5-9 million years ago. It weighed up to 900lbs and hunted pretty that weighed anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000lbs!

Researchers completed a detailed comparison of seven previously unclassified fossil samples with previously classified fossils and bone samples from all over the world to help them define the new species.

Their findings looked at the elbow portion of the humerus and teeth. This suggested a larger saber-toothed cat whose very large forearms enabled them to pacify their prey.

The new saber-toothed cat scientists identified probably weighed an average of 600lbs (up to 900lbs in the largest cases, theoretically) and could take down prey possibly as large as ten times its own weight. This makes it one of the largest know cats in history that could take down bison-sized prey.

 

 

Family Matters

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A new study at OSU is suggesting that familial structure like regular bed and meal times and limited time on electronic devices may be linked to better emotional health in preschoolers and this may lower chances of obesity.

Researchers evaluated three household routines when children were 3 years old: regular bedtime, regular mealtime and whether or not parents limited television and video watching to an hour or less daily. Then they compared those to parents’ reports of two aspects of children’s self-regulation at that same age. Lastly, they investigated how the routines and self-regulation worked together to impact obesity at age 11, defined based on international criteria.

All three household routines were associated with better emotional self-regulation – a measure based on parents’ responses to questions such as how easily the child becomes frustrated or over-excited. Those children with greater emotional dysregulation were more likely to be obese later.

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