Understanding the psychology of distraction can help you stay on task

Could your urge to check emails — instead of finishing that major project — be a response to an uncomfortable emotional state?

  • It's easy to stumble down a rabbit hole when we consider the action beneficial like checking emails, stock prices, or sports scores.
  • However, if these seemingly beneficial actions take the place of something else we intended to do, they're just distractions. And we've been moved to these distraction as a psychological response to discomfort.
  • The truth is that distraction comes from within, and time management is just another form of pain management.
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Meet 5-MeO-DMT, the 'powerful' psychedelic that improves depression in one hour

A newly studied hallucinogenic substance has shown signs of treating mental health conditions more efficiently than psilocybin.

Photo Credit: Pobytov / Getty Images
  • A survey study found that around 80 percent of people using the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT in a ceremonial setting said that their depression or anxiety improved following its use.
  • The "mystical" experience of drug trip might allow people to gain unique insight into themselves or their relationships and make positive life changes.
  • While substance is found in the poison of the Sonoran Desert Toad, researchers say there is no reason to disturb the toad because the synthetic version of 5-MeO-DMT is identical in its effect.
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Men and women speak different languages, shows study

New research finds how power dynamics shape the speech of men and women.

  • A new psychology study finds differences in speech patterns between men and women.
  • Men tend to use more abstract language, while women focus more on the details.
  • This tendency is due to power dynamics that can be changed, concluded the researchers.
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Who was Jack the Ripper: Four theories on London's most notorious serial killer

New forensic evidence and three other theories on London's most notorious serial killer

Photo by Archive Photos / Stringer via Getty Images
  • Forensic scientists said that they have unveiled Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber, as Jack the Ripper.
  • Critics say the evidence is too weak to declare the case closed.
  • An earlier genetic analysis of letters sent to the police by Jack the Ripper suggested that the murders could have been committed by a woman.
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How to spend your money, according to science

It's not the act of buying but how you spend money that improves happiness and life satisfaction.

(Photo: Sony Pictures)
  • To prove money can't buy happiness, people point to millionaires and lottery winners who ruined their lives.
  • Psychological studies have shown that learning how to spend your money can improve overall happiness.
  • We explore eight money-spending principles that research suggests can bolster life satisfaction.
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