When the thought of yourself nags you: How failure to attain cultural standards brings suicide on the fringe of consciousness
keywords:
escape / failure / self-awareness / standards / suicide-related thought accessibility
When the thought of yourself nags you: How failure to attain cultural standards brings suicide on the fringe of consciousness
On September 9, 2009, Dr. Sapandeep Sahni hanged herself after her pregnancy test came out negative for the fourth time. She had a daughter, but she and her family desired for her to have a son. It was culturally important. Otherwise, Dr. Sahni’s life could be seen as a success: she held a relatively prestigious job (a general practitioner), was planning to become an eye specialist, was popular with colleagues and patients alike, and was well off, living in a... / more
“Look in my eyes. I said in my eyes!”: Antecedents and Consequences of (Self-) Objectification
keywords:
objectification / objectifying gaze / self-objectification / social perception
“Look in my eyes. I said in my eyes!”: Antecedents and Consequences of (Self-) Objectification
Physical appearance is one of the primary cues for individuals living in a society guided by a vast “sexual market” (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). Physical appearance also influences people’s achievements in areas that are not directly related to the sexual domain, such as their career (e.g., Register & Williams, 1990) or their educational success (e.g., Crandall, 1991, 1995). / more
Would you recognize the perpetrator? What do you need to know when you have to make an identification from a lineup?
keywords:
lineups / police practice / positive legal psychology / system variables
Would you recognize the perpetrator? What do you need to know when you have to make an identification from a lineup?
Would you be able to pick out the right person from a lineup? We discuss the role of various factors that can influence the decision-making process of eyewitnesses during the lineup procedures. / more
Death and deities: A social cognitive perspective
keywords:
immortality / religion / terror management theory
Death and deities: A social cognitive perspective
The universality of religious belief—in supernatural agents: gods, ghosts, souls, spirits, and their ilk—is, no doubt, the product of a whole host of interacting causal factors. However, the notion that such beliefs are driven by fear of death recurs throughout intellectual history. Although recent social psychological research provides some support for this claim, the relationship between mortality-related concerns and religious belief becomes clearer in light of so-called “dual-process models”, which allow for both conscious and unconscious levels of cognition. Religion,... / more
The victim wars: How competitive victimhood stymies reconciliation between conflicting groups
The victim wars: How competitive victimhood stymies reconciliation between conflicting groups
Ask an Israeli about the conflict with Palestinians and you'll probably hear a tale of woe and victimhood. The strange thing is, if you ask a Palestinian the same question, you'll most likely hear the same story. Since Israel became a nation in 1948, both Israelis and Palestinians have felt victimized. / more
When does revenge taste sweet? A short tale of revenge
keywords:
justice / punishment / retribution / revenge
When does revenge taste sweet? A short tale of revenge
Most everyone is familiar with the saying “revenge tastes sweet”, but is there some truth in this? It is only recently that revenge, and the psychological and behavioral implications, have received any empirical attention. The aim of the present article is to provide an overview on the issue of revenge from a scientific perspective and to gain insight into the potential “functionality” that acts of ... / more
When conversations flow
keywords:
conversational flow / fluency / need to belong / perceived consensus / synchrony
When conversations flow
We all know the awkward feeling when a conversation is suddenly disrupted by a brief silence. These moments can be pretty unsettling. Because people are generally so well-trained in having smooth conversations, any disruption of this flow indicates that something is wrong, either on an interpersonal level or on the level of consensus in a group. The question we aim to answer in this paper is: Why do we feel comfortable in conversations that have flow, and why do we... / more
Justice seems not to be for all: Exploring the scope of justice
Justice seems not to be for all: Exploring the scope of justice
The idea that “justice is for everyone” seems to be over. A justice perception can have unfair consequences for those who are perceived not to be included within the boundaries of fairness. This is what the scope of justice is all about: who is within and who is outside of the “justice boundaries”. This paper intends to clarify the concept and explain how social psychologists work with it in real-life contexts. We... / more
Brain Training: Practice Keeps You Fit
keywords:
brian training / cognition / neuroscience / practice / sudoku
Brain Training: Practice Keeps You Fit
Commercials on the importance of training your brain are nearly a daily occurrence nowadays. A world without Sudoku has almost become unthinkable. Not only puzzles like these, but also numerous specific internet exercise-sites and try-at-home packages are devoted to this phenomenon. This merchandise is usually accompanied by slogans saying something like: "improve cognitive ability and prevent the negative outcome of the aging brain". Just as physical exercise improves the shape of your body muscles, cognitive exercise should keep your brain... / more
Positive Illusions: Brad Pitt or Danny DeVito?
keywords:
body / brad pitt / love / positive illusions
Positive Illusions: Brad Pitt or Danny DeVito?
Imagine a colleague of yours, Mary, comes to the office one day and starts talking about this guy John whom she met in a bar. Supposedly, this guy is not only handsome, but also super smart, extremely witty, and God knows what else. So, obviously, you cannot wait to see this stud. When you – finally - meet this Brad Pitt look-alike, Brad Pitt seems to have been turned into Danny DeVito: all you get to see is this balding... / more