Using MRI, scientist finds that ‘prayer is like talking to another human’
April 15, 2009
Oxford scholar finds that children around world are born believing in God
March 25, 2009
BBC Today (HT: Adrian Warnock)
Study: ‘Buying experiences, not possessions, leads to greater happiness’
February 9, 2009
San Francisco State University-EurekAlert (HT: Kent Shaffer)
Book says defective authority structure in home may contribute to religious unbelief
February 7, 2009
Amazon: Paul C. Vitz, Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism
‘People who are judgmental about [Christians using anti-depressants] live in a bubble that desperately needs to be popped’
January 29, 2009
Rhett Smith interview with author/blogger Anne Jackson, Part two
Amazon: Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic
‘Study: Service Attendance, Not Spirituality, May Decrease Suicide Risk’
January 23, 2009
Aaron J. Leichman, Christian Post
Two reviews of Losing God
January 22, 2009
Trevin Wax: ‘For those of us who have never struggled with severe doubt or depression, Matt’s book helps us understand those who do’
Michael Spencer: ‘As an account of how Calvinism figures into depression, it’s highly valuable’
Amazon: Losing God
Princeton study: Faces communicate trustworthiness (and untrustworthiness)
January 21, 2009
Boston Globe (HT: ChurchCrunch)
Depression, A Stubborn Darkness
January 20, 2009
Book review by Donn Arms, Institute for Nouthetic Studies Blog
Study finds ‘religious belief and piety promote self-control’
January 1, 2009
NY Times story by John Tierney (HT: Rod Dreher)
21 year-old commits suicide after becoming addicted to online game
January 1, 2009
Federica Valabrega discusses the story at Culture11
‘Religion & IQ’
December 16, 2008
Razib Khan quotes a recent study that looked at the connection between religious persuasion and IQ, at Culture11:
“So you’re wondering who is smart and who isn’t, right? (even if you don’t believe in IQ) Here’s the chart …”
He also provides links to some other posts he has written on the same topic.
How to fight Googlification
December 12, 2008
Stephen Altrogge wrote a post earlier this week entitled, “Don’t Let Google Make You Stupid.” In a more recent post, he offers some tips for preventing the brain atrophy that can be caused by an overuse of social media:
“Fight For Real Reading
Blog reading, email, Twitter, Facebook, and texting are in some ways like junk food. Easy to consume large quantities without getting anything of substance …”
Learning need not be hands-on …
December 12, 2008
Stuart Buck shares this:
“I’ve often heard the claim that people will remember less of what they merely read or hear, but much more of what they ‘do’ in some sort of hands-on activity. I just found a lengthy post from 2006 where Will Thalheimer (a researcher and blogger) completely demolishes that myth.”
(I’ll refrain from sharing Thalheimer’s link, since I have copied the entirety of Buck’s post here.)
On OCD
December 11, 2008
Justin Buzzard recommends this article on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Mike Emlet, of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation:
“An obsession is a persistent thought, impulse, or image that you find intrusive, inappropriate, and anxiety-inducing. There are some common obsessions that many people struggle with from time to time:
Fear of germs and contamination from germs
Repeated doubts (’Did I turn off the oven before I left the house?’)
A need to have things in a particular order or to do a task ‘just right’”
