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+14 +1
How a rebellious scientist uncovered the surprising truth about stereotypes
Studying the accuracy of stereotypes is risky business. For many, investigation into stereotypes is tantamount to endorsing bigotry... By Claire Lehmann.
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+17 +1
When is a smile not a smile? When it's hiding the truth
Let’s talk today about two men who have been in the news lately, primarily for their actions in the corporate and political worlds.
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+24 +1
The Benefits of Being Less Self-Conscious
Stop thinking you're the center of the world, and you may be happier. By Paul Bloom. (Dec. 17)
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+23 +1
Why Free Markets Make Fools of Us
George Akerlof and Robert Shiller believe that once we understand human psychology, we will be a lot less enthusiastic about free markets and a lot more worried about the harmful effects of competition. In their view, companies exploit human weaknesses not necessarily because they are malicious or venal, but because the market makes them do it. By Cass R. Sunstein. (Oct. 22)
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+48 +1
Why Are Exorcisms as Popular as Ever?
“While the influence of institutionalized churches has waned, few sociologists today would claim that science is eliminating belief in the supernatural.” By Joseph Playcock.
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+25 +1
The Trials of Alice Goffman
Her first book, ‘On the Run' — about the lives of young black men in West Philadelphia — has fueled a fight within sociology over who gets to speak for whom. By Gideon Lewis-Kraus.
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+31 +1
The Christmas the Aliens Didn't Come
What a failed doomsday prophecy taught psychologists about the nature of belief. By Julie Beck. (Dec. 18)
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+4 +1
What every dictator knows: young men are natural fanatics
“A young male’s hormonal constitution and the way his brain matures together increase his susceptibility to fanaticism, an extreme instance of bonding, and make him prone to taking risk-laden actions on behalf of his group.” By Joe Herbert.
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+26 +1
Why Women Are Choosing Virtual Boyfriends Over Real Ones
Virtual romance, once a niche Japanese subculture, has mushroomed into a lucrative global industry. By Pip Usher.
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+7 +1
How well online dating works, according to someone who has been studying it for years
What the data actually say about what online dating is doing to us. By Roberto A. Ferdman.
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+7 +1
What People Find Creepy, According to One New Survey
Creepiness, the quality ascribed to creeps, has long been demarcated by the same ambiguous parameters as hardcore porn: We know it when we see it. By Christina Cauterucci.
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+16 +1
Is Staying In the New Going Out?
I first noticed it at work. On Monday mornings a deathless ritual unfolds in offices across the land: the posing of the question, “How was your weekend?” A few years ago, my coworkers and I exchanged happy highlight reels of ambitious urban activities before cracking open our laptops and pouring ourselves a tall, refreshing glass of work. One of us went to an off-Broadway play. One of us went to a Beyoncé concert. One of us went on a date. We had fun!
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+11 +1
On Vanishing
Alzheimer’s disease, Harry Houdini, and America's invisible caregivers. By Lynn Casteel Harper.
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+3 +1
This unusual test reveals how smart you are
Researchers have found a surprising indication of intelligence. By Jeff Guo.
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+34 +1
No, You Can’t Feel Sorry for Everyone
The idea of empathy for all ignores the limits of human psychology. By Adam Waytz.
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+20 +1
The Psychology of Genre
Why we don’t like what we struggle to categorize. By Tom Vanderbilt.
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+29 +1
The Countries Where Smiling Makes You Look Dumb
Finally, an explanation for Bitchy Resting Face Nation. By Olga Khazan. (May 27, ’16)
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+5 +1
Frames of Reference
Why Smart People Feel Stupid, Money Buys Happiness, and You Will Never Feel Truly Satisfied. By Ben Kuebrich.
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+30 +1
The secret of taste: why we like what we like
How does a song we dislike at first hearing become a favourite? And when we try to look different, how come we end up looking like everyone else? By Tom Vanderbilt.
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+48 +1
Truth, lies and stereotypes: when scientists ignore evidence
Social scientists dismiss them, but rather than being universally inaccurate, stereotypes are often grounded in reality. There are good reasons for the bad reputation of stereotypes, which may give rise to malevolent propaganda about groups: disproportionate media representations of African-Americans as criminals, women as fit for nothing but child-rearing and homemaking, Arabs and Muslims as nothing but bloodthirsty terrorists, Jews as grasping hook-nosed Nazis perpetrating genocide on innocent Palestinian babies. Such characterisations are inaccurate, immoral and repulsive, to say the least.
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