Tag Archives: Psychology

September’s Event, More News and ‘Thank You’s

The shadow of Count Orlok from the 1922 film Nosferatu

Count Orlok in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 “Nosferatu”

Greetings from windy South London.

First of all, many thanks to Steph Holt for August’s PubSci talk on Gilbert White. A special shout-out to the Goth WI posse who took advantage of their month off to come to the Old King’s Head. Sorry you can’t make the next one because it’s right up your street.

You see, we’re beating the October rush by getting our spook on early this year with a September Halloween Special looking at the natural history of vampires. If you think that doesn’t sound like it would contain much science, you’ve obviously never met September’s speaker, Deborah Hyde.

Full details of the event will be published in this blog once it’s been created on Eventbrite, but you can see a preview on our regular Next Event page (or click the image above). Read on for more ways to stay informed of forthcoming PubSci events. In the meantime, put 18th September in your diary.

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Good news!

Summer-Autumn 2024PubSci’s Summer and Autumn programme is now available to download or print. If you didn’t realise we even had a programme, follow that link for a preview of scheduled events to the end of the year.

Of course, you may just want PubSci events to appear in your calendar app automatically, rather than looking at a flyer pinned to your fridge. Fear not! You can view or subscribe to our Google calendar feed here. Or just click this link to subscribe in one step by downloading the .ics file.

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Get with the programme!

Since we’ve got an events programme, why not share it with friends and colleagues? It takes me a while to plan and produce every quarter and I’d hate it to go unused! How about printing off a copy and pinning it on your staff noticeboard? Everybody is welcome at PubSci.

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Screenshot

Follow PubSci wherever you are…

Did you know PubSci is on Facebook and Bluesky (and Twitter though I’m trying to move off that). We even have a LinkedIn group, which I’d really love you to join.

And if you want to find all the links in just one place, then you need to head to our Linktree. What’s linktree, you ask? It’s a kind of mini website that’s optimised for mobile viewing and hosts links to all your stuff. Basically it’s like an index to everything you want to put online – and it’s free. Nope, we don’t have a “partner link” or get a kickback for recommendations, I just really like it.

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And finally

Roughly half of all humans experience menopause but it’s rarely talked about in public, and both policy and education are shamefully inadequate despite the efforts of a few notable voices. Research by the Fawcett Society found 80% of menopausal women feel unsupported in the workplace. Our friends at the Vagina Museum want to help set this right with an exhibition called Menopause: What’s Changed?

It’s due to open on 18th October 2024 – World Menopause Day – but over a dozen arts and heritage funders have declined to support it, so they’re running a fundraiser instead. If you want to support it, or know an organisation who would, just follow this GoFundMe link.

…aaand October’s PubSci falls just two days earlier, so we’re hosting a special talk for everybody called Menopause Demystified. Yup, that includes the blokes too.

See you in the pub!

• • •

Support PubSci

There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a traditional whip-round to cover expenses – consider it a “Pay What You Can” event. Very few of us carry cash these days, so you can contribute digitally through our TipJar [awaiting link update] or make a donation when registering for ticketed events with Eventbrite. Please help PubSci continue putting on events. PubSci has no other source of funding.

We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of  a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access. 

Check out the Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar so PubSci events automatically appear in your own Calendar.  You can find all our links on our LinkTree.

• • •

We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday. Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge Underground (Borough High Street east side exit) every month apart from December for a regular dose of Sipping, Supping & Science.

image-third-wednesdays

Address:

The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA

Sold Out : “Jinx!” – The Science of Freaky Coincidences with Prof. Chris French | 17th July

Why do we say “Jinx!” when two people say the same thing at the same time? Are coincidences as unlikely as we think? And why do some coincidences feel so spooky

On Wednesday 17th July PubSci is delighted to welcome back Chris French of the Anomalistic Psychology Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, for a talk that is now fully booked out.

meaning-of-coincidences-dice-on

We’ve all had that uncanny feeling when things happen that seem too unlikely, too meaningful, too important to be attributed simply to random chance. Numerous well documented coincidences seem so unlikely that something more than blind probability appears to be at work. Paranormal explanations are often invoked for apparently precognitive dreams. So what’s really going on?

Conspiracy theorists and charlatans can play on our ignorance of causality, probability, and even what randomness really looks like, in order to make us think certain events have meaningful, perhaps sinister, connections. Some people make a career out of it. Even innocent coincidences can feel special to us. But why is this? And is it reasonable for sceptics to explain away such things as nothing more than “mere coincidences”?

Chris French is an expert in all things weird and freaky – how we experience them, why we believe in them and what’s really going on when we experience the uncanny. He’s already delighted PubSci with two talks in previous years, and this month he turns his attention to coincidences. At July’s PubSci, the author of The Science of Weird Shit explores the science and psychology of those freaky moments when things seem too unlikely to be “Just a coincidence”.

• • •

Book CoverI hope you reserved your place early, because the event is fully booked and there’s a long waiting list. For those lucky enough to be attending, Chris will have copies of his new book for sale: The Science of Weird Shit – Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal.

To make sure you don’t miss out on future events, subscribe to our Google Calendar to be the first to know when new talks are scheduled and follow PubSci on Eventbrite to be notified when tickets are available. You can also sign up to our own mailing list on any page on this site.

Learn more about Chris in “About the Speaker” below.

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Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head, near London Bridge tube. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Talks run for ~45 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. The Old King’s Head has a happy hour before 7pm, and the kitchen serves excellent pub grub.

PubSci is a pay-what-you-can event – please consider making a donation with your reservation or a cash contribution on the night to help us cover our running costs.

We use Eventbrite to manage numbers every month. Subscribe now to be notified of forthcoming talks.

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About the speaker

Chris French 2024Chris French is Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths,University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of UK Humanists.

He has published well over 150 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. His main current area of research is the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences.

Chris frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims as well as writing for the Guardian and the Skeptic magazine.

His academic reference book Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience was published with Anna Stone, and his latest book The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal was published by MIT press earlier this year.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Chris to the latest in our series of monthly talks.

Coincidence or Aliens?

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Support PubSci

There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a traditional whip-round to cover expenses – consider it a “Pay What You Can” event. Very few of us carry cash these days, so you can contribute digitally through our TipJar or make a donation when registering for ticketed events with Eventbrite. Please help PubSci continue putting on events. PubSci has no other source of funding.

We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of  a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access. 

Check out the Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar so PubSci events automatically appear in your own Calendar.  You can find all our links on our LinkTree.

• • •

We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday. Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge Underground (Borough High Street east side exit) every month apart from December for a regular dose of Sipping, Supping & Science.

image-third-wednesdays

Address:

The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA

Next Event, News and ‘Thank You’s

meaning-of-coincidences-dice-on

Greetings from steamy South London.

July’s event is up on Eventbrite, and whilst I will be writing a blog post about it soon, you can read the most important details and find the booking link at our regular Next Event page (or click the image above). Meanwhile, here at PubSci towers, we’re breathing a sigh of relief as the temperature slowly drops, because the heat seems to have convinced WordPress that Orange is the new Black. 

In case you’re wondering, we’ll be welcoming back Professor Chris French to talk about the science and psychology of freaky coincidences. He’ll also be offering copies of his excellent new book for sale, rather wonderfully titled, The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal. As always it’s the third Wednesday of the month, in this case Weds 17th July.

• • •

Huge thanks, of course, to June’s speaker, Eva Amsen. Remember, next time you hear about DNA fingerprinting or genetic testing, that it’s only possible thanks to some soupy bugs living in Yellowstone’s hot springs.

• • •

Roughly half of all humans experience menopause but it’s rarely talked about in public, and both policy and education are shamefully inadequate despite the efforts of a few notable voices. In fact research by the Fawcett Society found 80% of menopausal women feel unsupported in the workplace. Our friends at the Vagina Museum (the first museum of its kind in the world, now permanently housed in Bethnal Green), want to help set this right with an exhibition called Menopause: What’s Changed?

It’s due to open on 18th October 2024 – World Menopause Day – but over a dozen arts and heritage funders have declined to support it, so they’re running a fundraiser instead. If you want to support it, or know an organisation who would, just follow this GoFundMe link.

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Don’t forget to register for July’s PubSci talk. As always. it’s a pay-what-you-can event – please consider making a donation with your reservation to help us cover our costs.

• • •

Support PubSci

There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a traditional whip-round to cover expenses – consider it a “Pay What You Can” event. Very few of us carry cash these days, so you can contribute digitally through our TipJar or make a donation when registering for ticketed events with Eventbrite. Please help PubSci continue putting on events. PubSci has no other source of funding.

We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of  a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access. 

Check out the Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar so PubSci events automatically appear in your own Calendar.  You can find all our links on our LinkTree.

• • •

We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday. Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge Underground (Borough High Street east side exit) every month apart from December for a regular dose of Sipping, Supping & Science.

image-third-wednesdays

Address:

The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA

Nurture without Nature… What’s Wrong with Blank Slate View? (17th April 2024)

On Wednesday 17th April, PubSci is delighted to welcome evolutionary psychologist Dr. Alastair Davies to explore the nature-nurture debate in the light of modern understanding.

A blank slate with chalk ready to write

Are we born as blank slates, or is nurture balanced with nature?

Apologies for the lateness of this blog post. I’m in Mexico for the solar total eclipse, where connectivity has been difficult. Harder still has been proving that I’m not a robot… to AI systems which can’t accept that I’d be spending my money or logging into my accounts from a different country, even via VPN.

One of the things that makes us most human is our unique personalities, which develop from the moment we’re born – but are we born as completely blank slates upon which literally anything could be written by nurture and environment, or does nature imprint something unique on us from before we even emerge from the womb? And if it’s a mixture, how is that achieved?

That’s what April’s PubSci is all about.

Steven Pinker called it “the modern denial of human nature” yet in the long-standing debate over the influence of inheritance versus environment on human personalities, the “blank slate” theory was hugely influential for decades. So, are we born as raw canvases upon which the world uniquely traces its mark, or does nature impart innate qualities from the get-go?

Evolutionary psychologist Dr. Alastair Davies believes it’s time to re-assess this popular theory and consider where it leads us and what risks might emerge if we get it wrong.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Alastair to talk us through the background of, and potential problems with the blank slate theory, and explore how we might better understand how we – and those around us – came to be who we are.

Book now for an evening of profound insights. Places are limited and we’re already 60% full.

• • •

Wherever you stand in the nature-nurture debate, this talk is sure to challenge and inspire you. Join Alastair for What’s Wrong with Blank Slate View? on Wednesday 17th April . [Continues below]

Nature and nurture represented by DNA and a familyPubSci takes place upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge tube. Doors open 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Talks run for ~45 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. The Old King’s Head has a happy hour before 7pm and the kitchen serves excellent pub grub. 

We use Eventbrite to manage numbers – reserve your place now! PubSci is free to attend but please consider making a donation with your reservation to help us cover our costs.

• • •

About the speaker

Alastair Davies is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Regents University, London, specialising in evolutionary psychology, and human mating, infidelity and sex differences.

A man in a blue shirtHe received his PhD in psychology from Florida Atlantic University and has a degree in Applied Science from Wolverhampton University,

Alastair sits on the board of peer-review journal Evolutionary Psychology and is an editor of the Encyclopaedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. He has published over a dozen papers including such titles as “Don’t you wish your partner was hot like me?:” The effectiveness of mate poaching across relationship types.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Alastair as our speaker for April. Subscribe to our calendar to be the first to know what’s happening each month.

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Support PubSci

There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a traditional whip-round to cover expenses – consider it a “Pay What You Can” event. Very few of us carry cash these days, so you can contribute digitally through our TipJar or make a donation when registering for ticketed events with Eventbrite. Please help PubSci continue putting on events. PubSci has no other source of funding.

We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of  a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access. 

Check out the Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar so PubSci events automatically appear in your own Calendar.  You can find all our links on our LinkTree.

• • •

We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday. Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge Underground (Borough High Street east side exit) every month apart from December for a regular dose of Sipping, Supping & Science.

image-third-wednesdays

Address:

The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA