When having meaning in life helps – and why
keywords:
hunter-gatherers, meaning, happiness, uncertainty
When having meaning in life helps – and why
This blog examines the search for meaning in life and gives an explanation for why people seek meaning. Briefly, modern life (relative to our hunter-gatherer past) places people in an uncertain position, and meaning in life can give us a sense that difficulties in life will pay-off. / more
Look at me! (Or don’t): Of society and showing off on Facebook
Look at me! (Or don’t): Of society and showing off on Facebook
Shameless self-promotion on Facebook. Love it or hate it, there’s always someone doing it. And many of us are guilty of it. But why do we do it? Comparing Facebook users in the US and Japan, I suggest it’s the power of the social context that may determine who struts their stuff, and why. / more
Can you replicate that?
keywords:
replication, solid science, methods
Can you replicate that?
The two previous “Solid Science” posts for this blog have covered important changes taking place in experimental psychology. If you have not read them, I recommend you do. In this post I report on another, larger change occurring in the field : the replication movement. / more
Blame. What is it good for?
keywords:
morality, blame, motivation, warrant, conflict
Blame. What is it good for?
Is blame for retribution and revenge ? Or is blame for managing others’ behavior? I argue that while the former answer is dominant in social psychology, it predicts a dysfunctional system of blame that explains only a small portion of why people blame. Instead, I suggest that blame is better understood as a tool for changing the way people behave. / more
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
keywords:
school, Aggression, bullying, peer group, social identity
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
In my last post, I discussed a striking observational study why peer only help infrequently, but I focused my discussion on the point of view of those who are bullying. In this post, I'll look at the perspective of the bullied victims. When it comes to the social psychology of aggression in schools, it seems that groups can both be a part of the problem and the solution, and I will discuss ways on how to attain this. / more
Smile! And I tell you where you’re from
keywords:
culture, emotion, facial expression, universality
Smile! And I tell you where you’re from
Although popular belief (and a heartwarming children’s song) holds that we all laugh in the same language, recent research has found that people are remarkably adapt at detecting local accents in the way that emotions are expressed. In this blog, I will review the research that suggests that the long-assumed universality of emotions is limited. / more
Smartphones: A threat to well-being?
keywords:
smartphones, recovery, resources, psychological detachment, well-being
Smartphones: A threat to well-being?
Nowadays, smartphones appear to play an inevitable role both in our work and private life. However, when it comes to work-related use, smartphones can hamper recovery and thus, pose a threat to our well-being. In this blog-post, I review recent studies on how and when potential side-effects may occur. / more
Why Are We Still Spanking Our Kids?
keywords:
spanking, physical punishment, corporal punishment, Aggression, violence
Why Are We Still Spanking Our Kids?
In this blog post we discuss legal, attitudinal and motivational factors that explain why we use physical punishment with children, specifically: (1) the United States, unlike most other countries, does not legislate against it, (2) attitudes condoning corporal punishment remain strong, particularly in some U.S. regions and cultures, (3) situational precipitating factors, impulsive appraisal, and cognitive scripts for aggressive punishment can interact to result in a spanking episode. / more
From candidate genes to genome-wide association studies
keywords:
candidate gene, genomewide association study, nature, nurture
From candidate genes to genome-wide association studies
In my last post I asked where the genes for psychological traits are, and argued that over the last two decades candidate gene studies have failed to identify genes that are reliably associated with complex behavioral phenotypes. In this post, I will discuss more recent whole genome methods, such as genome -wide association studies, and what we have learned from these. / more
Now I ain’t sayin she’s a gold digger, but will she get with someone who makes less than her, either?
keywords:
romantic relationships, gender, gender-roles, wage gap
Now I ain’t sayin she’s a gold digger, but will she get with someone who makes less than her, either?
In this post I review research showing that women do not care about partner’s income as much as people may think. In fact, the research suggests that both men and women overestimate the degree to which the other gender cares about money in relationships. These findings are particularly relevant given that some opponents of the 2014 U.S. Paycheck Fairness Act have stated that women prefer to make less money than their romantic partners. / more
blog categories
- Culture (13)
- Current Events (9)
- Gender (5)
- Meaning Making (7)
- Other (2)
- Political Psychology (11)
- Race & Ethnicity (7)
- Solid Science (8)