Wonderful Chart By @craftingwitch

Ravens have paranoid, abstract thoughts about other minds

Add this to logic puzzles, human speech repetition and nonvocal signals as things ravens can do

Cementing their status as the most terrifying of all the birds, a new study has found that ravens are able to imagine being spied upon – a level of abstraction that was previously thought to be unique to humans. 

The ability to think abstractly about other minds is singled out by many as a uniquely human trait. Now, a study from the Universities of Houston and Vienna have found that ravens are able to adapt their behaviour by attributing their perceptions to others.

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that if a nearby peephole was open, ravens guarded pockets of food against discovery in response to the sound of other birds – even if they didn’t see another bird. This was not replicated when the peephole was closed, despite hearing the same auditory clues.

According to the study’s authors, the discovery “shed[s] a new light on Theory of Mind” – the ability to attribute mental states to others. A number of studies have found that animals are able to understand what others see – but only when they can see the head or eyes, which provide gaze cues. This suggests that these animals are responding only to surface cues, and are not experiencing the same abstraction as humans.

The ability to hide food is extremely important to ravens, and they behave completely differently when they feel they are being watched – hiding food more quickly, for example, and are less likely to return to a hiding place for fear of revealing the location to a competitor.

The study replicated this behaviour. Two rooms were connected by windows and peepholes, both of which could be opened and closed. The ravens were trained to look through the peepholes to observe human experimenters making stashes of food. Finally, both windows were covered while a single peephole remained open – and, though no bird was present, the ravens still hid the food as if they were being watched.

“We showed that ravens can generalise from their own experience using the peephole as a pilferer, and predict that audible competitors could potentially see their caches through the peephole,” the authors wrote. “Consequently, we argue that they represent ‘seeing’ in a way that cannot be reduced to the tracking of gaze cues.”

Although ravens may not seem similar to humans, the two species do have something in common – their social lives. Like humans, ravens go through distinct social phases, from fluid interaction with other birds as adolescents to stable breeding pairs in adults. “There is a time when who is in the pack, who’s a friend, who’s an enemy can change very rapidly,” said Cameron Buckner, lead author of the research. “There are not many other species that demonstrate as much social flexibility. “Ravens cooperate well. They can compete well. They maintain long-term, monogamous relationships. It makes them a good place to look for social cognition, because similar social pressures might have driven the evolution of similarly advanced cognitive capacities in very different species”.

It’s not the only thing ravens can do – they’ve also been found to mimic human speech, complete complex logic puzzles and show empathy for fellow birds, which Buckner says could “change our perception of human uniqueness”. “Finding that Theory of Mind is present in birds would require us to give up a popular story as to what makes humans special,” he said. “Completing this evolutionary and developmental picture will bring us much closer to figuring out what’s really unique about the human mind”.

dark green is a nice color. underrated

Tried to infuse a jar of honey with blueberries.

Yeah…that went well. I shoulda squashed them first, because now they’re just floating at the top and not doing anything.

Tried squishing them against the glass, but they’re refusing to pop.

Sad blueberry honey experiment is probs just gonna wind up on toast and will not be spoken of ever again.

astrology ask thing

aries: what are you passionate about?

taurus: name 3 of your favorite books.

gemini: what was the last text you sent?

cancer: if you could choose your child’s zodiac sign, what would it be?

leo: name something you love about yourself.

virgo: what’s your #1 pet peeve?

libra: describe your dream partner.

scorpio: do you trust easily?

sagittarius: if you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be?

capricorn: what’s your dream job?

aquarius: do you believe in aliens?

pisces: describe someone you love.

sun: describe yourself in 3 words.

moon: what’s your favorite song?

rising/asc: how would you describe your style?

mars: are you easily angered?

venus: what’s your aesthetic?

mercury: what color do you talk in?

jupiter: what moral do you live by?

saturn: what’s your biggest fear?

uranus: are you rebellious?

neptune: share one of your dreams.

pluto: what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned by far in your life?

lilith: do you have any guilty pleasures?

chiron: have you ever broken a bone?

ceres: are you a momfriend?

pallas: do you have a good relationship with your parents?

juno: do you believe in soul mates?

1st house: are you confident?

2nd house: if you could only keep one of your personal items, what would you choose?

3rd house: do you like to read?

4th house: what does your bedroom look like?

5th house: name your favorite movie or show.

6th house: do you participate in community service?

7th house: if you could choose, what zodiac sign would you like your dream partner to be?

8th house: do you believe in reincarnation?

9th house: what’s your favorite quote?

10th house: are you good at public speaking?

11th house: what sign(s) is your best friend/squad?

12th house: do you like to be alone?

Tag yourself

🌿Anger Magick🌿

Crystals, herbs and tips to help you deal with anger, anger issues, etc..

🔮Crystals for Anger🔮 🔮Ajoite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, makes one more receptive to feelings, brings happiness and joy. $ 🔮Aragonite: converts agression and anger into positive energy, grounds holder, raises energy levels. $ 🔮Kyanite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, removes frustration and confussion. $ 🔮Magnetite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, grounds holder, removes negative energy. $ 🔮Opal: converts anger and agression into positive enegry, frees the mind, body and soul. $$$ 🔮Peridot: converts anger and agression into positive energy, removes jealousy. $$ 🔮Sugilite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, helps understanding, clears the mind. $ 🔮Witherite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, grounds holder, makes bearer self-aware. 🌿Herbs for Anger🌿 🌿Chamomile: Used to calm down and relax. Best used in form of tea. 🌿Ginseng: used as a mood enhancer, taken as a supplement. 🌿Lavender: used to calm one down. Can be used in many forms. lotions, oils, sprays, smell sachets,… 🌿Kava Kava: used as a mood enhancer and improves sleep, best used in form of tea. 🌿Peppermint: soothing herb that helps calm down anger. Can be used in form of tea but also peppermint candies. ✨Tips for Anger✨ ✨Meditation and yoga help against anger. ✨Express your anger, but only after you have calmed down. ✨Forgive! holding grudges will only bring you more anger over time. ✨Take three deep breaths when you feel anger building up to release tension. ✨Stay active! Go for a walk, get some excorsice or do a chore to distract your mind. ✨Write a journal or letters to yourself about your anger. *Never be afraid to seek professional help if you feel like your anger issues are not getting any better or if they are getting out of hand.*

🔮3 OF SWORDS–ACE OF PENTACLES–KNIGHT OF CUPS🔮

This week (and every day) a lot of pain has been surfacing for survivors and resistors. There is heartbreak in the fact that with the way things are set up, we are all trained to hate women/femmes/gender non conforming folx and not be surprised when they are hurt, traumatized, and/or killed. Take the space that you need to recover from the weight of this. You might also be processing the fact that the men/masc ppl in your life haven’t shown up for you in this life, that they still have so much to learn and still do that learning at your expense. It is ok to be angered by this. It is ok to live into the fullness of whatever emotions surface for you, now. You are allowed to feel big, cry big. Remember that you are far more powerful than any person who comes for your dignity. Remember your self-knowledge, the fact that you have survived your whole life until this point. Remember all that you have striven for and worked towards in your healing process, whatever that looks like for you. Celebrate, my loves, because an opportunity to make real change is possible. Where do you fit in the change process ? What is your place in the revolution ? Where do you find your work ? Maybe it’s in direct service, in healing work, in planning, in organizing, in balancing budgets, in waking up each day so that you can continue to support others. Wherever your work is, know that there is a lot of potential for success. Together, we can move into the next way, the next moment. Into a time when ppl arent afraid to walk on the street or wear a piece of clothing or have a conversation in fear of pain and death. This is a time to mourn. To feel. So that we can move forward with the lessons from that mourning. Don’t ever let someone tell you what it looks like for you to grieve. Do what works for you, live into the whole self. With what you have to offer, we can start building stronger communities. Even if what you have to offer right now is your depression or anger or joy or comfort, we can use all of these in conjunction with our collected knowledge to make things happen. There is power in vulnerability and emotion. . 🔮: Rider-Waite https://www.instagram.com/p/BojubQoF-vn/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mimm3me666aw

How to show emotions

Part III

How to show disappointment

swallowing hard

low, monotone voice

clucking their tongue

rubbing their face

shaking head

clenching hands

sighing

frowning

pursing of the lips

slumped shoulders

looking away

scowling

How to show relief

exhaling deeply

tension in their face going away

closing eyes for a moment

tentative smile

eyes brightening up

small giddy laughter

putting hand on their breast

joyfully tearing up

looking up

How to show desire

gaze dropping down to the other's lips

opening mouth slightly

small smile around the eyes

eyes widening

pupils dilating

biting lips

following them with their eyes

inhaling deeply

licking lips

How to show tiredness

closing eyes

slowly opening them again

long sighs

yawning

no eye contact

head lolling to the side

closed mouth, neither smile nor scowl

not moving a lot

doing everything slower

staring off into the near distance

How to show confidence

prolonged eye contact

nodding to show they are listening

putting their shoulders back

holding head high

leaning forward

standing tall

smiling openly

Part I | Part II

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰