Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: December 1, 2013

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REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU LOOKING AT PICTURES OF CUTE CATS ON THE INTERNET WAS GOOD FOR YOU!

by Hazed

We all know the internet is made of cats, and people like me can waste hours looking at adorable pictures of cut little kittens when we should be doing our vitally important work. But now it turns out we were right all along to take time out from our busy schedules to gawp at feline pictures.

A study carried out by an app developer discovered a link between amusing cat photos, and the ability of people to recall phrases in a memory test.

“We wanted to know what kinds of visual mnemonics were most effective at helping people to learn fast,” says Ben Whately, chief operating officer at Memrise. “The pattern began to emerge that pictures of cats always featured disproportionately among the most effective,” he says.

So the company took this research and used it to develop an app to help people learn languages, by coupling phrases with cat cuteness.

The news stories I got this from do seem to be not much more than a plug for this particular app, although the company says their tests were based on research for Japan which describe the relationship between cuteness and improved cognitive function.

You can read more of the details at the source link below. Or you can go there just to look at the pictures of cute cats with which the story is illustrated!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25103362

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