On Wednesday 26 November, four academic scholars, including me, gave talks about research we had recently conducted. I had a great time listening to people’s findings and presenting my own!

First, Grace in Lower VI gave a fascinating talk on the causes, signs and risks of sepsis, a condition which, despite causing 11 million deaths in 2020 (data: WHO), not many people know about. Lottie in Lower V, entered the John Locke Institute global essay competition with an essay answering the question, ‘Why do you continue to use your smartphone more than is good for you?’ Her answers involved dopamine (in her words, ‘My favourite neurotransmitter’), reward psychology, Maslov’s hierarchy of needs and more!

Like Lottie, I entered the John Locke Institute global essay competition, and received a commendation. My essay answered the question, ‘Why do people get more boring as they grow up and get older?’ I explored themes such as generational differences and biases, the physical effects of ageing and their social repercussions, and how those over 65 are negatively impacted by stereotyping and ageism.

Finally, Grace’s younger sister Margaret, in Lower IV, presented her research on the placebo and nocebo effects. The placebo effect is when someone experiences positive effects from inactive medical or psychological treatments, often due to behavioral conditioning and confusion between correlation and causation. The nocebo effect, which I had personally never heard of before, is the opposite, when someone experiences negative side effects from an inactive treatment. Margaret’s talk explored the various causes and consequences of this effect.

Overall, attending and participating in the Scholars’ Talks was a very intellectually stimulating and enjoyable experience, and I would gladly go again!

Sophia, Lower IV