Category Archives: Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Focus on research: The placebo power of brands

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By Lisa E. Bolton

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Centre Daily Times as an installment of the paper’s Focus on Research column. Focus on Research highlights  research projects and topics being explored across all disciplines at Penn State. Each column features the work of a different researcher.

Spring is here! If you’re a gardener like me, you’re counting the days until the tulips appear. If you’re a golfer, you may be counting down to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., while organizing your gear for a trip out to the local golf course.

Hoping to improve your game this year? If so, Nike is there for you with “peak performance engineered into every polo, designed to bring out the best in every golfer.” And that’s just a shirt — imagine what one of their golf clubs might do for your game.  Continue reading Focus on research: The placebo power of brands →

Society & Culture

Focus on research: Will the Every Child Succeeds Act allow for less qualified teachers?

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By Gail L. Boldt and Bernard J. Badiali

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

On December 9, Congress passed the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, called the Every Child Succeeds Act. A replacement for the much criticized No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the reauthorization gained support from groups as diverse as The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Education Association, the National Parent Teacher Association, The National School Boards Association, the National Governors Association and Fairtest, an organization that addresses issues related to fairness and accuracy in testing.

With such overwhelming support, it could well be argued that it must be a sound legislation. But, is it?  Continue reading Focus on research: Will the Every Child Succeeds Act allow for less qualified teachers? →

Earth & Environment, Science & Technology, Society & Culture

Old-fashioned sustainable houses

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Everyone wants a house to live in. More and more, people around the world want the kinds of houses seen in Europe and North America, rather than those they grew up in. However, industrial building materials can be scarce and expensive — alternative, locally sourced, sustainable materials are often a better choice.

Continue reading Old-fashioned sustainable houses →

Society & Culture

Focus on research: March Madness is the avid sports fan’s (and sports marketer’s) dream

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By Wayne S. DeSarbo and Chris McKeon

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Centre Daily Times as an installment of the paper’s Focus on Research column. Focus on Research highlights  research projects and topics being explored across all disciplines at Penn State. Each column features the work of a different researcher.

Everyone knows that the March Madness “Big Dance” equals big hype; but for sports marketers, this yearly NCAA basketball tournament equals big opportunity. For the sport’s most loyal fans, watching the 40 minutes of play on the court is just a small portion of their interest and need for interaction with their favorite team — and that team’s brand. Conversely, the sports industry — like any business — depends principally on these heavily involved consumers, in this case, the fans.

It is crystal clear that the most important aspect to the sporting industry is the fans that buy tickets to attend the games, purchase merchandise and memorabilia from their favorite teams, and consume media to passionately follow their favorite team or sport. In 2015, this pulled in approximately $500 billion in the U.S. and $1.5 trillion for sports industries worldwide, according to Plunkett Research Ltd.  Continue reading Focus on research: March Madness is the avid sports fan’s (and sports marketer’s) dream →

Health & Medicine, Society & Culture

Can wearing orange-tinted glasses before bed help you sleep?

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By Jordan Gaines Lewis

Editor’s note: Sleep Awareness Week is almost at an end, (March 6-13, 2016), so we are republishing the following article, which originally appeared on The Conversation on April 27, 2015. This also follows up the House of Cards post we published last Sunday.

I recently wrote about the terrible sleep habits of the characters in House of Cards. I disapproved of Frank Underwood’s late-night computer work in the Oval Office, his new midnight iPad gaming habit and Claire taking her laptop to bed with her.

But I must confess my hypocrisy. Despite my preaching – and despite being a sleep researcher myself – the last thing I do before I flip off the lights and snuggle into my bedsheets is play games on my iPhone. I know, I’m bad – but I also know I’m not the only guilty person here.

Although evidence suggests that the blue light emanating from phones, tablets, laptops, televisions and e-readers can affect the quality of our sleep – in turn affecting our health and well-being – many of us can’t help logging in and tapping away when we should be winding down. A Time/Qualcomm poll of 5,000 people worldwide suggests that nearly a quarter of those between the ages of 18 and 24 generally don’t sleep as well because of technology. Even worse, 40-75% of folks across all age groups report keeping their phones within reach while they sleep at night.  Continue reading Can wearing orange-tinted glasses before bed help you sleep? →