Simon Oxenham
The best and the worst of psychology and neuroscience
Simon Oxenham covers the best and the worst from the world of psychology and neuroscience. Formerly writing with the pseudonym "Neurobonkers", Simon has a history of debunking dodgy scientific research and tearing apart questionable science journalism in an irreverent style. Simon has written and blogged for publishers including: The Psychologist, Nature, Scientific American and The Guardian. His work has been praised in the New York Times and The Guardian and described in Pearson's Textbook of Psychology as "excoriating reviews of bad science/studies”.
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In Defence of Dismaland: The Value of Banksy’s Dystopian Nightmare
Why Banksy's dystopian vision of the future might be the kind of shock we need to realize the problems humanity faces.
The Surprising Truth About Sniffer Dogs
Research has shown that drugs dogs routinely act based on the behavioral cues of their handlers, rather than acting on their sense of smell, raising important questions about the Fourth Amendment rights of anyone subject to search based on their actions.
A Simple Way to Use Psychology to Run Faster
Running to music that is in sync with your pace can make you run faster, for longer, and now, there's an app for that.
Why People (Still) Believe in Quacks
Why is it that in the face of a total lack of evidence for their effectiveness, so many people feel so much affection for quacks?
The Real Miracle of Acupuncture: That Anyone Still Believes In It
Over 3,000 studies have now been conducted into acupuncture; it's time to accept that the ancient Chinese practice is a complete waste of time.
Why I Can’t Take Homeopathy Seriously
Jeremy Corbyn, the man who will take the Labour Party to the next British election, believes in homeopathy. Here's why that matters.
A New Study with Big Implications for Antivaxxers
Researchers have discovered that the measles virus erases the body’s natural immunity to other diseases.
Will We Really Be Able To Model The Entire Human Brain Within 10 Years?
Does the claim made by the leader of the €1 Billion Human Brain Project stand a chance of coming to fruition?
Children Can Predict the Outcomes of Elections Simply by Looking at Candidates’ Faces
We are far more influenced by appearances in our electoral decision-making than we like to admit
The Latest Health Scare, In Perspective
Us humans are bad at comparing risk. Don't be hoodwinked by scare stories.
Google Neural Network Produces Psychedelic Imagery
A look at the implications of a promising discovery by researchers at Google.
Believe It Or Not, Most Published Research Findings Are Probably False
Ten years ago, a researcher claimed most published research findings are false; now a decade later, his claim is stronger than ever before. How can this be?
Was It Right to Fool Millions of People into Thinking Chocolate Helps You Lose Weight?
A journalist tricked news outlets into reporting a bogus study to demonstrate the sorry state of science journalism, but was the sting operation ethical?
Why do so many people think MSG is bad for you?
Most people seem to believe MSG is bad for you. In fact, it is far more likely to be good for you.
WiFi Won’t Make You Ill, but Thinking that It Will Really Can
What happened when researchers strapped fake WiFi routers to people's heads to test if electromagnetic sensitivity is real or imagined?
A New Replication Suggests ‘Power Posing’ Is a Waste of Time, but Here’s Why You’ll Still Be Told to Do It for Years to Come
The second most-watched TED Talk of all time has been debunked.
No, Smartphones Aren’t Making Children Autistic
A psychiatrist has made headlines claiming smartphones are making children "borderline" autistic. Here's why that's rubbish:
The Seductive Allure of Neuroscience Explanations
Does dropping a few brain-related words into an argument cause people to lose the capacity for critical thought?
World Health Organization Demands Pharmaceutical Companies Stop Withholding Clinical Trials as Study Finds Over Half of Registered Clinical Trials Are Never Published
In the United States, the FDA has the power to fine drug companies $10,000 a day for failing to publish clinical trials, yet most clinical trials still never see the light of day.
The ‘worm’ with the potential to determine elections by manipulating your vote
It has become commonplace to see a "worm" based on the reactions of a tiny sample of audience members running across our screens during televised presidential debates. Psychologists tested whether the worm can influence our voting intentions and the results are worrying in the extreme.
Why the Widespread Belief in ‘Learning Styles’ Is Not Just Wrong; It’s Also Dangerous
Dr. Tesia Marshik who is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse walks us through the extensive evidence that learning styles don't exist, before looking at why the belief is so widespread and why the belief is such a serious problem.
The problem of ‘pointing’ in modern journalism
A new study examines over a hundred rumors spread through over a thousand news articles in 2014 and investigates the role major news publications play in the spread of misinformation.
Is Immunization the Reason George Washington (and Not the Queen of England) Is on the Dollar Bill?
George Washington was not only the founding father of the U.S., but also of mass immunization.
How Does Consuming Glucose Affect Your Memory?
While many people believe sugar makes kids hyperactive, this theory has long been debunked by research. However researchers are only just beginning to understand the complex relationship between glucose and learning.
The Backfire Effect: When Correcting False Beliefs Has the Opposite of the Intended Effect
How providing people with evidence about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines can backfire.
‘The first crack in the wall of significance testing’
A major psychology journal has banned the use of the near-universally adopted practice of significance testing, citing recent evidence of the technique's unreliability. What will be the fallout for psychology as a field?
Believe it or not, “learning styles” don’t exist
What false belief is held by 93% of British teachers?
What neuromyths do you believe in?
Many people, including a majority of school teachers, harbor important false beliefs about the brain. Are you one of them?
Could you be convinced you committed a crime that you didn’t commit?
A groundbreaking study suggests you probably could.
Why Do So Many Psychologists Write So Badly?
An in-depth look at the fine line between bad writing and "bullshitting" in psychology.