Also from UPS's shipping guidelines: "Lizards and geckos should be individually contained in bags constructed of breathable material, such as burlap. Insects should be contained in individual primary containers such as plastic jars with ventilation. Fish must be double bagged in strong plastic bags with a minimum thickness of 4 mils."
Just wondering about how many poor shipping choices resulted in such a precise list.
#introduction
Kia ora š
Iām Jamie, based in Aotearoa New Zealand š³šæ
Iām an ambivert. I enjoy getting to know people and good conversation, but Iām happiest easing into spaces rather than being the center of attention straight away. Iāll jump into discussions when I know the topic and feel confident holding my own, especially where individual perspectives actually matter.
I love being outdoors: camping, fishing, and long walks to reset my brain. Indoors, Iām usually bouncing between games (#DnD, #Catan, #LeagueofLegends, #Minecraft, and a soft spot for sandbox / RPG / crafting worlds), food adventures, and whatever media has my attention that week.
I like building things, setting systems up, and tweaking ideas that smarter people came up with first, but Iām equally happy just enjoying good design, good food, and good stories. Music-wise Iām all over the place (except country), with a long-standing love for Twenty One Pilots and currently vibing Ren.
Online, I try to avoid performative controversy. I post to start conversations, not win arguments. I like thoughtful interaction and hearing how different people see things. Expect curiosity, questions, and the occasional āwhat do you reckon?ā post.
Coffee in the morning (and a refill before 2pm), night owl by nature šā
Here to learn, share, and connect. Nice to meet you.
How many birds would it take you finding in your house before you started to believe someone was deliberately putting them there?
you find a bird regularly, but not every day. Sometimes there's only hours between finding another one, sometimes days - never more than 2 weeks, though.
** they're a variety of birds, but all seem pretty normal for your geographic area.
DATE: August 26, 2025 at 08:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG
** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
TITLE: A simple cognitive vaccine can make you more resistant to misinformation
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology provides evidence that a brief message promoting actively open-minded thinking can serve as a cognitive vaccine, reducing susceptibility to believing false information. The findings suggest that strengthening certain cognitive habits can help individuals better distinguish real from fake news and become less likely to share misinformation online.
In recent years, false or misleading information has played a significant role in shaping public attitudes toward science, health, and politics. Psychologists have become increasingly interested in why some people are more vulnerable to misinformation than others and what can be done to reduce its impact.
A growing body of research has pointed to the importance of cognitive styles in shaping how people evaluate information. In particular, a thinking style known as āactively open-minded thinkingā has been identified as a key predictor of resistance to misinformation. This approach emphasizes a willingness to revise oneās beliefs, consider opposing arguments, and avoid overconfidence in oneās own views.
Building on this research, the authors of the new study sought to test whether people could be inoculated against the cognitive tendencies that make them vulnerable to misinformation. Rather than focus on specific content or manipulative tactics, the researchers developed a logic-based inoculation message designed to warn participants about the psychological pitfalls of failing to think in an open-minded way.
āWe were motivated by the idea that many misinformation interventions focus on specific false claims or the tricks manipulators use. While these are important, they can be narrow in scope,ā said study author Mikey Biddlestone, a postdoctoral research associate on the University of Kent CONSPIRACY_FX team.
āWe wanted to test whether we could target something deeper: the cognitive style of actively open-minded thinking. This styleābeing willing to reconsider your views, avoid overconfidence, and weigh evidence fairlyāhas consistently been linked to lower susceptibility to misinformation and conspiracy beliefs. By using a logic-based inoculation approach, we aimed to strengthen this thinking style itself, which could provide broader and longer-lasting protection across different contexts.ā
The researchers conducted two pre-registered experiments using different participant samples and recruitment platforms. In the first study, 462 participants from the United States were recruited via Reddit. In the second, 464 participants were recruited through Prolific. In both cases, participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.
Those in the intervention group read a brief educational message designed to āprebunkā the psychological risks of failing to engage in actively open-minded thinking. The message explained five common pitfalls: overconfidence, failure to consider alternatives, the illusion of understanding, selective attention to confirming evidence, and misinterpretation of contradictory evidence as support for existing beliefs. (The full text of the message can be read at the bottom of the article.)
Participants in the control group either received no such message (in Study 1) or completed a content-neutral word sorting task (in Study 2). After the intervention, all participants completed a series of questionnaires designed to assess their thinking style, belief in conspiracy theories, and susceptibility to misinformation.
To assess misinformation susceptibility, Biddlestone and his colleagues used the Misinformation Susceptibility Test, a validated tool that presents participants with both real and fake news headlines. Participants had to judge the accuracy of each headline and indicate whether they would consider sharing it online. Additional measures included a cognitive reflection test, conspiracy belief scales, and questions targeting intellectual humility, tolerance for uncertainty, and awareness of personal ideological bias.
The results consistently showed that participants who received the inoculation message scored higher on measures of actively open-minded thinking than those in the control group. This suggests that even a brief message explaining the cognitive errors associated with dogmatic thinking was enough to boost this reflective mindset.
This shift in thinking had measurable consequences. In Study 1, the intervention group was more discerning when judging real versus fake news headlines and was less willing to share fake news. They also expressed lower belief in several types of conspiracy theories, particularly those involving global manipulation or extraterrestrial cover-ups. In Study 2, participants in the treatment group were better at identifying fake news and showed higher overall accuracy in distinguishing real from false information, although the direct reduction in conspiracy beliefs was smaller.
āWe found that a short message encouraging people to engage in actively open-minded thinking made a real difference,ā Biddlestone told PsyPost. āAcross two studies, it improved peopleās willingness to think in this way, which in turn helped them distinguish true news from false news and reduced belief in conspiracy theories. The key point is that teaching people how to think, rather than what to think, may offer a scalable way to build resilience against misinformation in generalānot just against one specific claim or tactic.ā
Statistical models revealed that the positive outcomes were largely driven by improvements in actively open-minded thinking. That is, the intervention worked not by increasing skepticism across the board, but by enhancing a specific kind of cognitive flexibility that helps people evaluate evidence more effectively. Notably, while the intervention also increased cognitive reflection scores, this thinking style alone was not a consistent predictor of reduced conspiracy beliefs or improved news discernment.
The researchers also found that some of the component traits related to open-mindednessāsuch as intellectual humility or intolerance of uncertaintyādid not fully account for the effects of the intervention. Instead, it was the holistic thinking style of actively open-minded thinking that seemed to matter most.
āWhile we expected improvements in misinformation discernment, we were struck by how consistent the effects were for actively open-minded thinking itself,ā Biddlestone said. āInterestingly, simple reflective thinking alone (like solving brainteasers) didnāt reliably reduce susceptibility, and in some cases was even linked to higher conspiracy beliefs. This reinforced our hunch that itās the broader mindset of open-mindednessānot just raw analytic thinkingāthat matters most.ā
Although the findings provide evidence that logic-based inoculation can promote healthier thinking and reduce belief in misinformation, the researchers acknowledge some limitations. First, both studies were conducted online using volunteer samples, which may not fully represent the broader population. Second, the interventions, while effective in the short term, were relatively long and text-heavyāraising questions about whether similar approaches would be practical in everyday media environments.
āOur intervention was text-based and fairly detailed,ā Biddlestone noted. āWhile it worked in the lab, people might not always engage with long passages in the real world. Future work needs to adapt it into shorter, more scalable formatsālike infographics, short videos, or classroom activities. Another open question is whether repeated exposure over time produces stronger or longer-lasting effects.ā
āWe want to test how these kinds of interventions can be scaled up for everyday use. For instance, can schools teach open-minded thinking as a norm? Can social media platforms integrate prebunking prompts in ways that people actually notice and internalize? Long term, the goal is to create interventions that donāt just debunk individual falsehoods, but instead give people durable tools to evaluate information across domains.ā
āMisinformation is a moving target, but our results show that boosting peopleās thinking styleārather than chasing each new false claimāmay provide broad protection,ā Biddlestone added. āEncouraging open-mindedness is not about making people skeptical of everything, but about giving them the confidence to evaluate information fairly and change their mind when the evidence calls for it.ā
The prebunking message:
Please read the following text carefully, considering how arguments and evidence may be received and evaluated.
In a recent survey, we found that 80% of people agreed that they should actively search for more information that both supports and contradicts their current viewpoints than they currently tend to do before feeling convinced on a topic.
For this reason, you should be vigilant of the fact that some online content producers seek to manipulate their audience by exploiting the common tendency to feel confident in the opinions that you already hold. This overconfidence reduces the likelihood that you will be motivated to search for relevant information that would otherwise give you a better understanding of the topic at hand. In psychological research, this prevalent issue is often referred to as failing to engage in actively open-minded thinking.
Failing to effectively engage in actively open-minded thinking can be identified through five main pitfalls:
Overconfidence in your position.
Failure to consider alternative possibilities.
Conviction that you understand your position until asked to explain it.
Only searching for and attending to evidence that supports your position.
Interpreting all evidence as support for your position, even when it isnāt.
As a result, reduced actively open-minded thinking has been linked to many problematic outcomes for society, including poorer ability to objectively evaluate arguments, as well as increased susceptibility to misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Importantly, actively open-minded thinking does not require you to be skeptical of all information and viewpoints you encounter, but rather gives you the tools to more appropriately evaluate when and who you should trust. A helpful approach to ensure you are engaging in actively open-minded thinking is to ask yourself whether the content you are consuming provides information explaining how it avoided the five pitfalls mentioned above when drawing its conclusions.
So next time youāre watching the news or reading information online, rememberā¦donāt believe everything you think!
The study, āNorm-enhanced prebunking for actively open-minded thinking indirectly improves misinformation discernment and reduces conspiracy beliefs,ā was authored by Mikey Biddlestone, Carolin-Theresa Ziemer, Rakoen Maertens, Jon Roozenbeek, and Sander van der Linden.
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot
@PTUnofficialBot
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
Trump, 79, admitted to Fox News on Tuesday that he feels he is āat the bottom of the totem poleā regarding his odds of making it to the promised land, leading many to ponder: Why is the president suddenly so hell-bent on making it to the pearly gates?
Reading a short novel on time travel & "repair" by Adrian Tchaikovsky, & thinking ā¦
What if George W hadn't won the 2000 US election? Parties govern in waves, so ā¦ how long 'til the White House fell to the GOP again, anyway? Which faction would have been in power for the financial crisis of '08? For the Pandemic? The invasion of Ukraine?
It's not so simple. I don't subscribe to the optimistic (yet sociopathic?) social math in Asimov's "Foundation".
E-book screenshot.
Fyi: font is OpenDyslexic. White text on black improves readability and brightness is turned way down to reduce blue-light wake-up effect.
centre of the universe in every other way. And look, history was a tough old bird. We kept going back and changing things, intentionally or accidentally. We ran all over her and fought our war, murdering each others' grandparents, apply-ing last-minute CPR to the Archduke of Austro-Hungary, acci-dentally trekking invasive species into the wrong millennium so that Wordsworth wrote A host of crawling trilobites instead of that daffodil nonsense. We pushed causality to breaking point-mean-ing the universe's basic ability to have one thing sensibly follow another.
@noodlemazbookstodon group ooh, I didn't last 5 minutes with Service Model! As an ex-programmer, watching a robot learn to program itself was like watching paint dry! š
Maybe I should look at the date of the one book I really liked... did his work change over time? #curious
"While the United States Constitution requires candidates to have āattained the age of thirty-five yearsā, no age cap for presidential candidates exists.".
#Biden and #Trump would both be disqualified if the age cap to the US President was 75 making 71 the last age window to mount a presidential campaign. #curious
The more #hostages are released by #Hamas , the more we are reminded how badly Hamas lost their #Jihad#War. #hostage
What happens when they have no hostages to bargain with? #curious #freepalestine #gaza
"Of the 33 hostages set to be freed under phase one of the three-stage ceasefire deal, 19 have already been released and Israel says eight are dead. So the six to be released on Saturday are the final living hostages on the list of those to be released in the first phase of the deal."
While Russia has been bombing Ukraine every single day, we have now been discussing whether Ukraine is allowed to bomb military targets inside Russia for 942 days.
Call out fear-mongering. Let the person throwing irrational fear your way know you refuse to absorb it. Turn off media rooted in anger, bitterness, and fear.
"Despite GOP fear-mongering, experts say new crime data shows US 'safest' in decades"
One thing for certain. Smart Phones make everything easier to track.
Are Americans less violent or simply more aware of how easy it is to get caught?
I wonder. #curious
Trump, 79, Sparks Health Concerns With āHeavenā Declaration ( www.thedailybeast.com )
Trump, 79, admitted to Fox News on Tuesday that he feels he is āat the bottom of the totem poleā regarding his odds of making it to the promised land, leading many to ponder: Why is the president suddenly so hell-bent on making it to the pearly gates?