Unrelenting faith in the face of insurmountable contradictory evidence is a trait of believers in conspiracy theories that has long confounded researchers. For instance, past research has demonstrated how attempting to use evidence to sway believers of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories can backfire, increasing their certainty in the conspiracy. Could it also be the case that knowing that most people doubt a conspiracy actually makes believing in it more appealing, by fostering in the believer a sense of being somehow special?

Read the rest of this article at: BPS Research Digest

In a year of pivotal elections across Europe — in the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and Germany — voters are being urged to turn up to the ballot box. Yet long-term data suggest that political apathy has risen steadily in Europe’s citizens, says Simon Hix, a political scientist at the London School of Economics…

Read the rest of this article at: Nature Image Credit: Simon Hix

Are you feeling tired today? Much of the UK got up an hour earlier than usual this morning, following the start of daylight savings. But there’s evidence that the clocks changing can have much more serious effects too, including heart attacks and strokes…

Read the rest of this article at New Scientist – the home of Brain Scanner, my monthly column.  Image: Leticia Chamorro

Executive pay has risen astronomically over recent years: America’s top CEOs currently earn ten times what they did 30 years ago, according to a 2015 brief by the Economic Policy Institute, and around 300 times more than the average worker. And if that fact on its own isn’t enough to make you feel frustrated, consider this one: The people who take home the biggest paychecks aren’t necessarily the best at what they do….

Read the rest of this article at NY Mag.