Take a nap and get smart

Even though the memory tricks have come to an end, I have got one exciting new trick for you to store your memories carefully. When I have a period with lots of exams I sometimes take a nap, and not because some books are so boring that I almost fall asleep. I do this because I feel like afterwards I can better remember the things I had learned before. I did not know how this worked and if it worked for more people, however recent research by the University of California has shown that people were indeed better able to remember things after they took a nap.

For this experiment 44 volunteers were invited to the laboratory at 12:00 pm. They had to remember 100 names and faces for the test they had to make at 18:00 pm. Half of the group was allowed to sleep between 14:00 pm and 15:40 pm, while the other group remained awake. The people who slept after they learned the names and faces performed better than the ones who stayed awake. The difference between the two groups was even about twenty percent.

The scientists suspect that during a nap the information in the hippocampus, the part in the brain where memories are made, moves to the long term memory. Since the hippocampus is emptied, a person is ready to store new memories.

Although I do not recommed you to go to sleep during a lecture, do not hesitate to take a nap while you are studying for an important test. There is a big chance you will do better on your test. Sleep well!

Sunday, March 20, 2011 // Labels: Fun Research, Memory Tricks // 1 comments //

Back on track with a brand new layout

Hello everyone! Here is a quick update. I know it has been almost two weeks since my latest blogpost, but I'm back and this time with a brand new layout!

I have chosen a blue layout, because I was reading a very interesting research article about the influence of color on the purchasing habits of shoppers. It was an article of Bellizi, who investigated two colors, blue and red, within an electronics store. In the experiment where the store was blue, the visitors stayed longer in the store and were more likely to buy something than when the store was colored red. The people who were in the red store quickly left. I thought if this works for stores, it might also work for blogs. Of course I do not want my visitors to leave quickly, thus I thought a new blue layout was the best option. Within a few weeks I will see the results in Google Analytics, so let's hope my hypothesis is right. Moreover, I did not want to frighten you away with a red layout, as you could see in my previous post.

I have spent quite some time figuring out the HTML, but it is more or less finished right now. I'm very curious what you think, so let me know! Moreover, I have a lot of new and interesting updates for you, so stay tuned!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 // // 2 comments //

The excuse to buy that stunning red dress

Good news for the ones of you who love to wear red. Researchers of our University have determined that people who wear red clothes have more success in negotiations.

Within the experiment people had to negotiate with each other about the purchase and sale of coffee. The only thing that varied in the experiment was the color of clothing, which was red or white. It appeared that both buyers and sellers got significantly better results in the negotiations when they wore a red shirt.

The explanation the researcher gives is that there will probably be a fright when people are confronted with the color red, making them worse performers in the negotiations. It even seemed that people who were exposed to the color red before they made an IQ test performed less than people who saw the color grey.

So, if you want to negotiate about the price of those beautiful new shoes or the holiday destination of this summer, be sure to wear something red!