Turning to God in the Face of Ostracism: Effects of Social Exclusion on Religiousness

The present research proposes that individuals who are socially excluded can turn to religion to cope with the experience. Empirical studies conducted to test this hypothesis consistently found that socially excluded persons reported (a) significantly higher levels of religious affiliation (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and (b) stronger intentions to engage in religious behaviors (Study 2) than comparable, nonexcluded individuals. Direct support for the stress-buffering function of religiousness was also found, with a religious prime reducing the aggression-eliciting effects of consequent social rejection (Study 5). These effects were observed in both Christian and Muslim samples, revealing that turning to religion can be a powerful coping response when dealing with social rejection. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Distribution of the daily Sunspot Number variation for the last 14 solar cycles

The difference between consecutive daily Sunspot Numbers was analysed. Its distribution was approximated on a large time scale with an exponential law. In order to verify this approximation a Maximum Entropy distribution was generated by a modified version of the Simulated Annealing algorithm. The exponential approximation holds for the generated distribution too. The exponential law is characteristic for time scales covering whole cycles and it is mostly a characteristic of the Sunspot Number fluctuations and not of its average variation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Clinical relevance of cerebral autoregulation following subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a form of stroke that is associated with substantial morbidity, often as a result of cerebral ischaemia that occurs in the following days. These delayed deficits in blood flow have been traditionally attributed to cerebral vasospasm (the narrowing of large arteries), which can lead to cerebral infarction and poor neurological outcome. Data from recent studies, however, show that treatment of vasospasm in patients with SAH, using targeted medication, does not translate to better neurological outcomes, and argue against vasospasm being the sole cause of the delayed ischaemic complications. Cerebral autoregulation-a mechanism that maintains stability of cerebral blood flow in response to changes in cerebral perfusion pressure-has been reported to fail after SAH, often before vasospasm becomes apparent. Failure of autoregulation, therefore, has been implicated in development of delayed cerebral ischaemia. In this Review, we summarize current knowledge about the clinical effect of disturbed cerebral autoregulation following aneurysmal SAH, with emphasis on development of delayed cerebral ischaemia and clinical outcome, and provide a critical assessment of studies of cerebral autoregulation in SAH with respect to the method of blood-flow measurement. Better understanding of cerebral autoregulation following SAH could reveal mechanisms of blood-flow regulation that could be therapeutically targeted to improve patient outcome

An Implicit Theory of Self-Esteem: The Consequences of Perceived Self-Esteem for Romantic Desirability

The provision of information appears to be an important property of self-esteem as evidenced by previous research concerning the status-tracking and status-signaling models of self-esteem. The present studies examine whether there is an implicit theory of self-esteem that leads individuals to assume targets with higher levels of self-esteem possess more desirable characteristics than those with lower levels of self-esteem. Across 6 studies, targets with ostensibly higher levels of self-esteem were generally rated as more attractive and as more desirable relationship partners than those with lower levels of self-esteem. It is important to note, however, that this general trend did not consistently emerge for female targets. Rather, female targets with high self-esteem were often evaluated less positively than those with more moderate levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of an extended informational model of self-esteem consisting of both the status-tracking and status-signaling properties of self-esteem