BPS Research Digest

Because the term is bullshit. I would be willing to read the phrase in a more charitable light if there was symmetry in these discussions associating negative female traits as toxic femininity. There is no symmetry. Negative feminine traits aren’t linked to gender. They are separated and abstracted from gender. The phrase toxic masculinity is used as to bludgeon masculine things and men.

It also goes against studies that show Young Men Who Endorse The Masculine Ideal of Success Enjoy Greater Psychological Wellbeing[1]

"The findings are mixed, but given the recent cultural emphasis on toxic masculinity, one result stands out: young men who, on the “Conformity to Masculine Norms” scale, more strongly endorsed the masculine ideal of “success and winning” (they agreed with statements like “In general, I will do anything to win”), tended to score higher on psychological wellbeing six months later. “Men who adhere to this norm may experience a sense of mastery and achievement through their accomplishments,” said the researchers, led by Aylin Kaya at the University of Maryland, “which can in turn boost their eudaemonic well-being.”"

Not only is the belief in a code of “true manliness” nearly universal, there are, as anthropologist Thomas Gregor puts it, “continuities of masculinity that transcend cultural differences.” While every society’s idea of what constitutes a “real man” has been molded by their unique histories, environments, and dominant religious beliefs, Gilmore…

it's a good point, I'll have to think more about it.

have you read paper zero by Bem? what's your thoughts on it?

I went looking for some more scholarly evidence, which is quite hard to find, but I am grateful for the opportunity to look more into the existence of studies.

A 2018 review that finds cumulative support, published in American Psychologist[10], and here's an intro and write-up by the British Psychological Society [11]

A 2011 review of approaches to meta-analysis of psi studies that finds support[12]

A 2012 review of evidence and proposal of a quantum mechanical basis that finds support[13]

My take: Scholarly evidence is hard to find, but the evidence is there, and acceptance is growing. That claim that psi is impossible and unsupported is the bolder claim that requires strong evidence to be taken seriously.

Personally, I believe. And I do not understand the visceral resistance, especially from Americans, who are deeply religious people. I see no contradiciton between faith and psi. We take faith at face value, the feeling of connection to the divine, or belief in the main figures, and in stories, and saints, and miracles that speak of extraordinary powers, or people sharing how they knew their loved one had died, or speaking with deceased relatives. Do you really believe that is all cognitive bias and random fluctuations, personally I mean?

Another way of saying things is, we need to be more humble. We don't understand how it can work, but we need to…

This doesn't really say anything about effective learning, it kind of just talks around it.

As an elementary school teacher and a MSc Psych student, I can tell you that spaced repetition is the best way for learning facts. And it's not just my fancy - here's one of the many studies that prove it:

"Practice tests, spaced practice, and successive relearning: Tips for classroom use and for guiding students’ learning."
http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-13426-004

You can google the paper and get it free online.

While we're at it, learning styles are not a real thing:
https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/04/03/another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-learning-styles-students-did-not-benefit-from-studying-according-to-their-supposed-learning-style/

If you need more proof, just read the papers in the references.

If someone asked me what the two most important things for an average person to know about learning, it would be that 1. Ebbinghaus's "Forgetting Curve" is real, and you will forget most things that you learn within 30 days if you don't review them properly and 2. Spaced repetition, especially aided by software such as Anki, is the best way for the average person to learn and retain large amounts of information.

https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Now, if one is keen, you can upgrade you learning with the use of mnemonics, both mental and visual, and drawing things helps immensely:…

There are problems both on the producing side and the consuming side. Any scientist knows that research is often driven by politics, money or ego.

The bigger problems are probably on the consumer side, though, and not only in under-educated social groups. Here's an interesting post I stumbled across recently: "People who trust science are less likely to fall for misinformation -- unless it sounds sciency" (https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/08/10/people-who-trust-science-are-less-likely-to-fall-for-misinformation-unless-it-sounds-sciencey/)

This confirms my sense that we easily glom on to things that "sound right", and if you're a scientist or engineer "sciency" statements sound right to us. Do we really have the time to dive in deep enough to figure out whether it's pseudoscience?

One of my previous employers had an open-plan office, and after a management change introduced mandatory hotdesking. You had to move desks every day -- management checked every morning and wrote people up if they sat at the same desk for two consecutive days.

Then they introduced a mandatory uniform and a complete ban on personal items -- all the Wallace and Gromit coffee mugs, the photos of family disappeared overnight.

It's the most sterile, depersonalising, demotivating work environment I've ever encountered.

Incidentally, BPS covered this in another article... "Why it’s important that employers let staff personalise their workspaces" -- https://digest.bps.org.uk/2015/03/27/why-its-important-that-employers-let-staff-personalise-their-workspaces/ . It's well worth a read.

Have you ever had to pretend to be enthusiastic about project decisions you didn't agree with? Have you ever had to mask what you would like to say to prevent conflict with a problematic manager or co-worker? Have you ever had to force yourself to be polite, cheerful, and friendly to a customer who really didn't deserve the courtesy?

Other examples:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/04/26/customer-service-workers-forced-smile-may-turn-drinking-alcohol/3588408002/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile_mask_syndrome

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/02/24/theres-such-a-thing-as-autism-camouflaging-and-it-might-explain-why-some-people-are-diagnosed-so-late/