Sergio Parra

Not many studies have been conducted to quantify the relationship that may exist between personality and musical preferences. In fact, un recent meta-analysis seemed to question whether the relationship was very strong.

However, through the use of more modern techniques and a broader understanding of musical taste, it is suggested in a recent study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science that musical preferences may reflect Big Five personality traits.

The Big Five

Previous studies on music and personality have limitations in not being able to fully measure listening habits, because they are based on self-reported preferences and small samples.

However, in the present study, several Spotify users were asked to participate by showing their listening habits over three months, including information about the genres and moods of the music they listened to.

To get a more complete picture, some questions were asked to build a more nuanced understanding: Do you discover new music or listen to old favorites? Are your tastes diverse? Do you have regular listening habits?

Along with these measures, study participants were asked to complete the Inventory of the Big Five, a 44-item questionnaire that measures the five personality traits:

• Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
• Awareness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless)
• Extraversion (sociable/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
• Kindness (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/uncaring)
• Neuroticism (susceptible/nervous vs. resistant/confident)

To understand how these personality scores relate to music preferences, a machine learning model was trained to predict someone's personality using only their preferences and demographic information.

Those who rated themselves as more 'open to new experiences' tended to listen to more classical, Afropop or 'sentimental' music (e.g. 'Freddie Freeloader' by Miles Davis, 'April Come She Will' by Simon & Garfunkel). Listening to bluesy or 'melancholic' music (e.g. 'Take Care' by drake, 'Karma Police' by Radiohead) has an inverse relationship with self-assessment of 'emotional stability', while people who listen to Death Metal or 'aggressive' music (e.g. 'Boss' by Lil Pump, 'Last Resort' Papa Roach) tend to have fewer 'pleasant' self-evaluations, while people who listen to Jazz or Country have more.

People whose results identified them as extroverted tended to listen to others' playlists more, which could indicate greater trust in musical suggestions from their social networks. Self-rated introverts, on the other hand, tended to dig deeper into an artist's catalog, listening to more tracks from each artist they discovered.

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Tell me what music you like and I'll tell you what personality you have or how you listen to music (on Spotify)

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Sergio Parra

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Officially known as Brookesia nana, either B. lullaby for short, the new species It is so small that it is believed to survive on a diet of mites and springtails, an order of hexapod arthropods close to insects.

About the size of a sunflower seed, the newly described creature from Madagascar may already be critically endangered. Finding such a small reptile also raises interesting questions about the lower limits of vertebrate body size.

Brookesia nana

Like other chameleons, This small reptile has a tongue that it can project to catch its prey.. It hunts during the day on the jungle floor and retreats to the safety of the blades of grass at night.

So far, scientists have observed only two individuals: a male and a female, each of which was captured in 2012, on an expedition to a group of mountains known as the Sorata massif.

The researchers suspect that this nanochameleon could receive the title of the smallest reptile in the world. The fact that only two individuals were found makes it difficult to generalize about the findings. Other chameleons of this species may be larger or smaller, just as humans may be of different heights.

Its closest competitor is a creature called Brookesia micron, a species of tiny chameleon that made its debut in 2012, photographed on the head of a matchstick.

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This new species of chameleon could be the smallest reptile in the world

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Most accidents are caused by human error, simply because our brain cannot process as many inputs nor maintain attention for as long. Thus, autonomous vehicles will eventually make our roads safer.

However, people trust human drivers more than autonomous vehicles, reveals a new study published in the magazine Risk Analysis. This bias is called blame attribution asymmetry.

Risk analysis

Semi-autonomous vehicles (semi-AVs), which allow humans to supervise driving and take control of the vehicle, are already on the road. However, when there is an accident, we are inclined to think that the fault the machine or the vehicle manufacturer had it before the human driver.

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These were the first people to die on the first means of transportation in history

Researchers led by Peng Liu, associate professor at the School of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, conducted experiments to measure participants' responses to hypothetical semi-AV shocks. When a crash was caused by a vehicle's automated system, participants assigned more blame and responsibility to the automation and its manufacturer and indicated that the victim should be compensated more, compared to a crash caused by a human driver.

They also judged that the crash caused by automation was more severe and less acceptable than one caused by a human, regardless of the severity of the crash.

In Xataka Science

Artificial intelligence and zero emissions is what this new autonomous tractor promises

Liu and his colleagues call this bias against automated systems blame attribution asymmetry. It indicates the tendency of people to overreact to shocks caused by automation, possibly due to the higher negative affect, or feelings and emotions, evoked by these shocks. Negative emotions such as anger can amplify attributions of legal responsibility and blame.

To change people's negative attitudes about semi-AVs, Liu maintains that "public communication campaigns are very necessary to transparently communicate accurate information, dispel public misconceptions, and provide opportunities to experience semi-AVs." .

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We are more likely to blame a vehicle's autonomous system than its human driver when there is an accident

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Tobacco use kills more than 8 million worldwide each year and can cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as affecting fertility.

However, even though we are talking about such a serious health problem, the information, education and all the campaigns that are carried out, In 20 years, tobacco consumption among young people has barely been reduced in 40% of the countries in the world..

A health problem

Tobacco use among adolescents and children is a crucial problem, since most adult smokers begin in adolescence or childhood. Despite an overall reduction in cigarette consumption over the past 20 years, nearly 1 in 5 boys (17.9%) and more than 1 in 10 girls (11.5%) worldwide used tobacco at least once in the last month between 2010-2018, according to a new study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

In Xataka Science

Are smokers much less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than non-smokers?

Smoking prevalence was highest in the Western Pacific region for children (17·6%), with Tokelau having the highest prevalence of 49.3%. The European region had the highest prevalence of smoking among girls (90%), with a prevalence of 23.7% in Bulgaria and 23.6% in Italy.

In the study, there was a variable prevalence of cigarette smoking and use of other tobacco products in different regions, which is believed to be due to differences in the way tobacco control measures are implemented and monitored. For example, Uruguay has been at the forefront of tobacco control, with a complete ban on tobacco promotion and advertising and strict pictorial health warnings. As a result, cigarette consumption decreased by 17% every 10 years (from 20.1% in 2007 to 8% in 2014).

In Xataka Science

We must start pursuing electronic cigarettes because their safety is not clear

The prevalence of use of any tobacco product was two to three times higher in 15-year-olds than in 13-year-olds in most countries. Peer pressure, the desire to experience new things, and the ability to buy cigarettes could explain this trend. As explained Bo Xi, from Shandong University, China, and lead author of the study:

Cigarette smoking may have decreased in most of the countries in the study, but there are still large numbers of young people who smoke. The fact that in many countries, the prevalence of non-cigarette tobacco product use is higher or as high as the prevalence of cigarette use shows us that there is still much work to be done. The need to strengthen tobacco control efforts, including specific policies for different tobacco products and a focus on health education for adolescents globally, is more important than ever.

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In 20 years, almost half of countries have failed to reduce tobacco consumption among young people

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Drugs like LSD still They have a lot to teach us about the way the brain works, and may shed light on the mysterious interface between consciousness and neuronal physiology, as suggested a new study.

Combining pharmacological interventions with non-invasive brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can provide information about normal and abnormal brain function.

LSD

In the study, a group of 20 healthy volunteers underwent brain scans in two separate sessions, fifteen days apart. In one of the sessions, participants took a placebo before entering the fMRI scanner, while in the other they were administered an active dose of LSD.

In Xataka Science

With this optical illusion it will seem like you have taken LSD

By comparing the results of the two sessions, the researchers found that LSD separates functional connectivity from the limitations of structural connectivity, while also altering the way the brain manages the balancing act between integration and segregation of information. In particular, the well-known LSD-induced sensation of 'ego dissolution' correlates with the reorganization of brain networks during a state of high global integration.

The drug-altered state of consciousness could be seen as an abnormal increase in the functional complexity of the brain, and the data show times when the brain reveals predominantly segregated patterns of functional connectivity.

As explained by the first author and neuroscience researcher Andrea Luppi, from the University of Cambridge, this study is part of the clarification of the dynamic functional connectivity, the theory that brain phenomena demonstrate states of functional connectivity that change over time, in the same way that our stream of consciousness is dynamic and always flowing.

In Xataka Science

As if you had taken LSD and other optical illusions

While this takes place, and the human brain processes information, it must integrate that information into an amalgamated form of understanding, but at the same time segregate information, keeping different sensory streams separate from each other, so that they can be managed by particular neural systems.

In other words, the 'ego dissolution' of a psychedelic trip could be the subjective experience of the brain increasing its segregation dynamics, decoupling the brain's structure from its functioning, that is, its ability to integrate and amalgamate separate streams of information into a unified whole.

This distinction, the dynamics of brain integration and segregation, is something that is affected by psychedelic drugs, and with the advent of brain imaging technology, we can observe what happens when our regular functional connectivity is disrupted.

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Describes how LSD allows the brain to function beyond the body itself

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A group of scientists has found for the first time embryonic remains of the group of dinosaurs carnivores including T.rex: fossilized jaws and claws show these record-sized babies closely resembled adults and were “born prepared” to hunt.

The bones indicate that these were larger than any other known dinosaur, 1 meter long, or the size of a medium dog, and that they hatched from what must have been enormous eggs, perhaps exceeding 43 cm.

Smaller cousins of the T. rex

The approximately 77-million-year-old jaw, about 3cm long, was unearthed in Montana and may belong to a species called Daspletosaurus.

The approximately 72-million-year-old wedge-shaped claw comes from the Canadian province of Alberta and may belong to a species called Albertosaurus.

Both are slightly smaller cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex. The largest known tyrannosaurs exceeded 12 meters in length and 8 tons in mass. The jaw has distinctive tyrannosaur features, including a deep groove on the inside and a prominent chin.

Edinburgh University paleontologist Greg Funston, lead author of the research published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, said that scientists were amazed at how similar embryonic bones were to adult tyrannosaurs and the jaws had functional teeth.

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Embryonic remains of carnivorous dinosaurs such as a T. rex are found for the first time

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Experts call it "the best impression of a 215-million-year-old dinosaur footprint" found in a decade. But its discoverer is only 4 years old..

The four-year-old girl found the dinosaur footprint on a beach in Wales that dates back 220 million years. The footprint was most likely left by a small, thin dinosaur that walked on its two hind legs.

A pristine footprint

The print measures just over 10cm long. Experts believe the footprint was probably left by a dinosaur that was about 75 centimeters tall and 2.5 meters long and walked on its two hind legs.

https://www.xatakaciencia.com/paleontologia/se-encuentra-que-posiblemente-sea-dinosaurio-raro-hallado-fecha

In Xataka Science

What is possibly the rarest dinosaur found to date is found

Lily Wilder made the discovery on January 23 while walking along a beach in South Wales with his father and dog. The family was heading to the supermarket when Wilder saw the footprint printed on a rock.

In Xataka Science

Why do children like dinosaurs so much?

Shortly after posting a photo of the discovery on social media, the National Museum of Wales contacted the Wilder family, and officials eventually recovered the print and took it to the museum.

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A 4-year-old girl finds a dinosaur footprint in an almost perfect state of preservation

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Economic narratives: How fake news and viral stories affect the economy It is a different book about how economy and society are intertwined because it adds a new factor that is often not taken into account in this relationship: contagious folk stories that spread through word of mouth, the media or social networks.

Its author is Robert J. Shiller, 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics.

Storytelling

Popular sentiment very frequently fuels new decisions that, ultimately, in turn affect theThe decisions of economic agents, like a fish that bites the thing: how and where to invest, how much to spend and save, study at university or enter directly into the job market and a long etcetera.

Economic narratives: How fake news and viral stories affect the economy (No collection)

Today on Amazon for €20.85

The analysis of the narratives that underlie the economy, then, understood as the study of the viral spread of beliefs and stories that affect people's behavior and their economic decisions, can improve our ability to anticipate and manage future economic events.

Because, although the economy is like meteorology, a non-linear dynamic system, by understanding how stories work and how our brain is influenced by them, we will at least be able to penetrate a deeper layer, honing not only our ability predicting the economic future, but also better understanding the past.

Since before the idea of “virality” existed, the stories people told each other about their experiences or rumors they heard have transformed markets and the economy. Many times, panics, real estate bubbles, stock prices or the future of new phenomena like bitcoin have depended on what one person told another: they are "economic narratives."

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Books that inspire us: 'Economic Narratives' by Robert J. Shiller

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Something minimal, irrelevant without context, like the tapping of a marble inside a metal container. It is nothing more than that. But it is a lot, because it is the sound, the noise, the verification that the mission has worked and that we have the first samples of an asteroid, here on Earth.

You can listen to it below.

Hayabusa 2

The first samples of materials extracted from beneath the surface of an asteroid, the asteroid Ryugu, dated to 4.6 billion years ago, landed in Australia on December 6.

Japanese scientists Hayabusa mission 2 They have released a video of a maneuver to immediately verify what was contained in the sample capsule received. To confirm without opening it that the capsule had samples inside, the scientists turned the capsule upside down and got the response with the following sound:

While at the Quick Look Facility in Australia (before opening the capsule back in Japan), the team tried to hear if a sample had been collected using a high-performance microphone as they turned the capsule over. This is the sound of Ryugu! pic.twitter.com/gfaTk94QmH

— HAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) January 28, 2021

The capsule contained in total 5.4 grams of samples. On February 22, 2019, the probe successfully touched the asteroid after a controlled descent to take samples, obtaining this amount of regolith. The tweet said:

While at the Quick Look Facility in Australia (before opening the capsule in Japan), the team tried to listen to whether a sample had been collected with a high-performance microphone as they turned the capsule upside down. This is the sound of Ryugu!

In Xataka Science

The Japanese probe Hayabusa 2 has fired a projectile to make a crater on an asteroid

Its study allows us to better understand how the Solar System was formed and consequently our planet and us. That sound was the clue that we were on the right track..

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This is the first sound of the first samples of materials extracted from beneath the surface of an asteroid

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Sergio Parra

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He confirmation bias It consists of embracing a belief and seeking only information that supports it, avoiding as much as possible information that calls it into question.

This includes, naturally, people who generate ideas that conflict with our ideological framework. That is the biggest gap of political tribalism (right-left) is not due so much to rational arguments as to this bias.

I don't even listen to you for money

The algorithmic echo chambers of social networks, in fact, are not the cause of the increase in the Us-Them gap, but rather it is the reflection: algorithms adapt like a glove to our confirmation bias. That is to say: They give us what we want, what we need.

In Xataka Science

Facebook mind: how algorithms make us live in bubbles

And they avoid giving us what we do not want to hear, what we do not want to attend to, what bothers us, what irritates us, what could undermine our beautiful ideological building (tall and unstable like a house of cards, actually).

So much so that we are even willing to lose the opportunity to win a sum of money as long as we are not exposed to Their ideas. Not all, but a significant majority.

In Xataka Science

We must demand greater control of algorithms: our freedom is at stake

Specifically, as revealed This studio, up to two-thirds of people (both liberals and conservatives) gave up the chance to earn extra money so they wouldn't have to listen to the other side. And they didn't do it because they already knew what the others were going to say., but because it bothered them, could create frustration, or would require too much effort.

The dislike was applied to topics such as same-sex marriage, elections, marijuana, climate change, guns and abortion.

In other words, which corollary: Ideologically committed people are equally motivated to avoid cross-cutting information at the ideological level.

We love ideological bubbles., also because our brain is not wired to assimilate large numbers of people (let alone those who are very different from us).

That is why, in the real world, where we are seven billion people, it is so ridiculous to see a person who says things like "the worst always happens to me." But it happens, because, in addition to confirmation bias, we are also crossed by a deep selfish and narcissistic bias, as you can see in the following video:

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People are capable of giving up money in exchange for not listening to people with ideas contrary to theirs.

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Sergio Parra

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