Are we all jerks? Why nobody helps when surrounded by others

Are we all jerks? Why nobody helps when surrounded by others

People are not likely to help when faced with an emergency. Are they all heartless or is something else going on? Science reveals that we can explain this lack of helping behavior by the Bystander effect and that there are ways to decrease this effect. It was a busy Monday night in Café Moto in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Cars were passing by and more guests entered the restaurant. The restaurant seats 35... / more

A funny thing happened on the way to romance: How humor influences romantic relationship initiation

A funny thing happened on the way to romance: How humor influences romantic relationship initiation

Is a funny pick-up line a good idea, or will it hurt your chances?  The role of humor in courtship is a fascinating puzzle that is beginning to receive empirical attention. The current article provides a glimpse at when and why humor might be useful during romantic relationship initiation, and explains how your humor style might affect your success in attracting a potential romantic partner. If you were to list all the attractive qualities that you might... / more

Sense-making through science

Sense-making through science

People are sense-making creatures in a world that does not always make sense. This is a problem – although we prefer our world and environment to be orderly and predictable, and an expanding body of research shows that we do not like randomness and a lack of control over life’s outcomes (Kay, Gaucher, Napier, Callan, & Laurin, 2008; Lerner, 1980), our world and our social environment are far from perfectly orderly and controlled. Life in modern society...

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