Science of the SpiritS


Arrow Down

Average human IQ has been dropping since 1970


PsyBlog
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 07:55 UTC
human iq test
Average human IQ has been dropping over the last few decades, new research concludes.

Potential culprits are worsening nutrition (particularly eating less fish), poorer education and the rise of new technologies.

The trend is surprising as in the early part of the 20th century, people were getting smarter.

The IQ boost that humans previously enjoyed is called the 'Flynn effect', after the psychologist who researched it.

But now that trend has stopped and gone into reverse.

In the last twenty or thirty years, humans have started getting dumber, researchers in Norway now suggest.

Their data come from compulsory IQ tests given to young men entering military service in Norway between 1970 and 2009.

Comment: Poorer nutrition? Check. Worsening education? Big check! Media and technology? Check. Compared to 50 years ago, there seems a drastic reduction in people's ability to engage in rational thought. Although, this is no accident and most likely by design. The power structure counts on a dumbed down population so that it may continue its agenda without much resistance or criticism.

Read More...
Family

Commitment and involvement: The antidote to a father's absence in the home

Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D.
Psych Central
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
father and child
"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the couple with the baby carriage." - That was a school yard chant when I was in elementary school - usually used to tease a couple of kids caught holding hands. That was in the 50s, in some ways a much more innocent time.

These days, the love-marriage-parenting progression has been blown apart. Babies happen before marriage, to cohabiting couples, and to women who are not emotionally connected to the father. Love may not have anything to do with it. In fact 40% of children born in the U.S. are born to unmarried mothers. According to the U.S. Census, 43% of children under age 18 live without fathers. That's over 24 million kids growing up without a dad in the house.


Comment: The Feminist Seduction of Western Society


Having kids is no guarantee that dads will live with their children or will stay. Compared to kids born to married couples, those born to cohabiting parents are three times as likely to experience the departure of their dad - or may never even know him. Those born to unmarried parents who don't live together are four times as likely to grow up without an involved dad. A recent study published in the American Sociological Review shows that fifty percent of all children born to married parents this year will experience the divorce of their parents before they turn 18.

According to the national Fatherhood Initiative, about 40% of children who do not live with their biological father have not seen him during the past 12 months; more than half of them have never been in his home and 26% of those fathers live in a different state than their children.

Comment: Further reading:

Read More...
Red Pill

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn: A World Split Apart

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
American Rhetoric
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 00:00 UTC
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
delivered 8 June 1978, Harvard University

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio English translation]

I am sincerely happy to be here on the occasion of the 327th commencement of this old and most prestigious university. My congratulations and very best wishes to all of today's graduates.

Harvard's motto is "VERITAS." Many of you have already found out, and others will find out in the course of their lives, that truth eludes us if we do not concentrate our attention totally on it's pursuit. But even while it eludes us, the illusion of knowing it still lingers and leads to many misunderstandings. Also, truth seldom is pleasant; it is almost invariably bitter. There is some bitterness in my today's speech too, but I want to stress that it comes not from an adversary, but from a friend.

Three years ago in the United States I said certain things which at that time appeared unacceptable. Today, however, many people agree with what I then said.

Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

Broken relationships at the root of US suicide epidemic

Suzanne Venker
Washington Examiner
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 14:57 UTC
couple in therapy
© iStockIt's the state of our relationships, not the state of the individuals themselves, that's broken.
Kirsten Powers wrote in USA Today what is perhaps the most astute response to the recent news about suicide - not just Kate Spade's and Anthony Bourdain's suicides, but the recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows a sharp increase in the number of suicides overall.

The CDC notes that more than half of those who died by suicide did not have a "known mental health condition." It is also worth noting that male suicide is far more prevalent than female suicide. And there, too, mental illness is not the reason. "The epidemic of depression and despair in the Western World isn't always caused by our brains," writes Powers. "It's largely caused by key problems in the way we live" and indicates that something is very wrong with the culture.

Comment:

Read More...
Cross

Demons really are possessing people, warns psychiatrist

Ethan Huff
Natural News
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 00:01 UTC
exorcist
An Ivy League-educated psychiatrist is convinced that there's a growing epidemic of demonic possession in the world today, and that most everyday people now recognize the dark reality of this scary situation.

Dr. Richard Gallagher, who boasts degrees from both Princeton University and Yale University, says that, despite conflicting opinions within mainstream medical science, demonic possession is both real and rampant.

With 25 years of experience under his belt as a private psychiatrist that compliments his two teaching positions at both New York Medical College and Columbia University, Dr. Gallagher believes he holds a unique vantage point in discerning between human and non-human, or satanic, behavior.

Comment: While the idea of demonic possession remains rather fringe, relegated to the corners of superstition and religious delusion, the work of Dr. Richard Gallagher, among others, shines an important light on the phenomenon. There is little doubt that something is going on here, but separating the myths from the truths, the legitimate cases from the counterfeits, is difficult.

See also:

Read More...
Heart - Black

The dark side to emotional intelligence - and how to protect yourself

Justin Bariso
Time
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
mechanical heart
When Daniel Goleman published the book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, few had heard of the term. In academic circles, it was a new concept - a theory formed by two psychologists, John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, that posited that just as people have a wide range of intellectual abilities, they also have a wide range of emotional skills that profoundly affect their thinking and actions.

Fast forward to today. You'll find references to emotional intelligence just about everywhere, most of them positive: how emotional intelligence can make you a better leader, a better employee or even a better spouse or parent.

What you don't see very often are references to the negative aspects of emotional intelligence. But it's important to remember that emotional intelligence, much like "traditional" intelligence, is not inherently virtuous. It's a tool.

Comment: For an excellent expansion on the above article, read:

The numerous tactics that narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths use to manipulate and silence you

Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

SOTT Focus: 3 Things I Learned From Attending Jordan Peterson's Sold-out Show In DC

Juliana Knot
The Federalist
Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:24 UTC
Peterson book
Renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson took the stage at the sold-out Warner Theater in Washington DC Friday night. The crowd got on its feet and started cheering, ecstatic to hear him speak.
Read More...
Brain

Major academic journal publishes article admitting the evidence for psi is solid

Greg
Daily Grail
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 15:16 UTC
telepathy
Is controversial research into telepathy and other seeming 'super-powers' of the mind starting to be more accepted by orthodox science? In its latest issue, American Psychologist - the official peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Psychological Association - has published a paper that reviews the research so far into parapsychological ('psi') abilities, and concludes that the "evidence provides cumulative support for the reality of psi, which cannot be readily explained away by the quality of the studies, fraud, selective reporting, experimental or analytical incompetence, or other frequent criticisms."

The new paper - "The experimental evidence for parapsychological phenomena: a review", by Etzel Cardeña of Lund University - also discusses recent theories from physics and psychology "that present psi phenomena as at least plausible", and concludes with recommendations for further progress in the field.

The paper begins by noting the reason for presenting an overview and discussion of the topic: "Most psychologists could reasonably be described as uninformed skeptics - a minority could reasonably be described as prejudiced bigots - where the paranormal is concerned". Indeed, it quotes one cognitive scientist as stating that the acceptance of psi phenomena would "send all of science as we know it crashing to the ground".

To address this, the paper quickly outlines some current theories in physics and psychology that might help to explain psi effects without smashing the pillars supporting the scientific establishment: quantum physics, ideas on the nature of consciousness, theories of time, and psychological and evolutionary theories of psi.
Read More...
Wine n Glass

Intelligent people drink more and are more likely to use drugs

Dr. Jeremy Dean
PsyBlog
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 15:11 UTC
reading and drinking tea
© Eric Vanden
People with high IQs drink more alcohol, although they are unlikely to be heavy drinkers, new research finds.

In other words, they drink more, on average, but spread it out, and are unlikely to be alcoholics.

The results fit with the fact that highly intelligent people are also more likely to use drugs.

It could be because the intelligent tend to be easily bored.

The conclusions come from a large study of the links between IQ and health habits.

Higher IQs are generally linked to healthier habits.
Read More...
Extinguisher

How the mind operates under high stress

Tali Sharoti
Aeon
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:25 UTC
firefighters
© Randy Robertson
Some of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime will occur while you feel stressed and anxious. From medical decisions to financial and professional ones, we are often required to weigh up information under stressful conditions. Take for example expectant parents who need to make a series of important choices during pregnancy and labour - when many feel stressed. Do we become better or worse at processing and using information under such circumstances?

My colleague Neil Garrett, now at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute in New Jersey, and I ventured from the safety of our lab to fire stations in the state of Colorado to investigate how the mind operates under high stress. Firefighters' workdays vary quite a bit. Some days are pretty relaxed; they'll spend part of their time washing the truck, cleaning equipment, cooking meals and reading. Other days can be hectic, with numerous life-threatening incidents to attend to; they'll enter burning homes to rescue trapped residents, and assist with medical emergencies. These ups and downs presented the perfect setting for an experiment on how people's ability to use information changes when they feel under pressure.

We found that perceived threat triggered a stress reaction that made the firefighters better at processing information - but only as long as it conveyed bad news.
Read More...