- Brains Are Sold by Stories. Research found whereas great movies and TV series engage people's love of narrative over many hours, beloved ads can do it within a fraction of a minute https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/chan-consumers-prefer-stories 37 comments science
- Stressors in adolescence linked to adult obesity, and social support as a protective factor https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/stanton-jones-adolescence-stressors-adult-obesity 2 comments science
- The lack of respect and open-mindedness in political discussions may be due to affective polarization, the belief those with opposing views are immoral or unintelligent. Intellectual humility, the willingness to change beliefs when presented with evidence, was linked to lower affective polarization. https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/bowes-intellectual-humility 7364 comments science
- Philanthropy may play an important role in justifying inequality. When a wealthy person donates millions to charity, people were more prone to believe that they had worked hard for their fortune. But, when a rich person spends their wealth living a lavish lifestyle, people had the opposite view. https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/davidai-wealth-perception 2 comments science
- Being a misfit doesn’t bother everybody. Assertive, creative, and open people do not care all that much whether or not they fit in. However, warmhearted, nice, and agreeable people have a particularly strong desire to fit in. (n=2,672,820 from 102 countries) https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/gebauer-eck-happy-misfits 752 comments science
- People’s emotional expressions affect how rich or poor they look. People broadly perceive faces that express negative emotions as lower in social class and positive emotions as higher. People can use their emotional expressions to manage others’ impressions of them. https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/bjornsdottir-facial-expression-wealth-perception 2 comments science
- People who grow up with aggressive parents are more likely to use anger words such as “mad,” “hate,” and “stupid” when annoyed or irritated with romantic partners. These moments can escalate into more intense conflict, unless we stop repeating our parents’ communication patterns. https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/han-anger-word-choice-romantic-partner 883 comments science
- People who grow up with aggressive parents are more likely to use anger words such as “mad,” “hate,” and “stupid” when they felt more annoyed or irritated with their partners. Both men and women’s use of anger words relate to their experiences growing up and their family history. https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/han-anger-word-choice-romantic-partner 3 comments science
- If someone is trying to persuade or influence others, they may use a story or stick to the facts, and a new study suggests that stories can increase the persuasiveness of weak facts, but actually decrease the persuasiveness of strong facts. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/krause-rucker-stories-persuasion 4 comments science
- Religious believers think God values the lives of out-group members more than they do themselves. Across religious groups in Fiji and Israel, religious believers see God as encouraging people to treat others in a more universal, or equal, manner. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/pasek-ginges-god-cares 29 comments science
- Globally, gay men are disliked more than lesbian women across 23 countries. The endorsement of traditional gender roles was associated with anti-gay attitudes in every Western country studied, but in China and India, this was reversed. Those endorsing gender norms were most positive towards gays. http://www.spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/bettinsoli-global-attitudes 2828 comments science
- Ants, like people, prefer things for which they've had to work hard http://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/czaczkes-ants-value-hard-work 7 comments science
- If someone is trying to persuade or influence others, they may use a story or stick to the facts, and a new study suggests that stories can increase the persuasiveness of weak facts, but actually decrease the persuasiveness of strong facts. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/krause-rucker-stories-persuasion 306 comments science
- A new study found that maximizing (seeks the best) men were more satisfied if they had attractive wives, and maximizing women were more satisfied if they had high-status husbands. In contrast, satisficing (good enough) men and women were similarly satisfied regardless of their partners’ traits. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/marriage-maximizers 2 comments science
- People are more willing to insult and use menacing language online, when there’s the protection of anonymity behind a computer. New research indicates that people react less strongly to malicious speech online and see the victims as less “harmed” than if the words were said directly to a person. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/online-flaming-study 6 comments science
- When it comes to making new friends, status symbols may actually repel people from making friends with us, a phenomenon known as the “status signals paradox”, according to new research. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/forget-the-bling?t=au 5 comments science
- The Status Signals Paradox : When it comes to making new friends, status symbols actually repel people from making friends with us http://www.spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/forget-the-bling 8 comments science
- Are free will believers nicer people? (Four studies suggest not). http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/dont-need-to-believe-free-will-nice 19 comments science
- Gender Roles Highlight Gender Bias in Judicial Decisions - Judges may be just as biased or even more biased than the general public in deciding court cases where traditional gender roles are challenged, according to a new study. http://www.spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/gender-judicial-bias 3 comments science
- People with a greater sense of entitlement are less likely to follow instructions than less entitled people are, because they view the instructions as an unfair imposition on them, finds new research in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/entitled-people-instructions-unfair 1877 comments science
- The Best Hedge Fund Managers Are Not Psychopaths or Narcissists, According to New Study http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/best-hedge-fund-managers-not-psychopaths-narcissists 4 comments science
- New research discovers people with low self-esteem often make relationship sacrifices that they believe are unappreciated. The regret can cause more negative mood, greater stress and lower life satisfaction over time. http://spsp.org/news-center/press-releases/relationship-sacrifice 8 comments science
- Hispanics, despite being lower SES than non-Hispanic Whites, have better health outcomes. Hispanics may be more resilient in the face of illness. http://spsp.org/news-center/blog/health_and_wealth 3 comments science
- Cognitive Ability Varies, but Prejudice is Universal. When it comes to prejudice, it does not matter if you are smart or not, or conservative or liberal, each group has their own specific biases. http://www.spsp.org/press-release/cognitive-ability 113 comments science
- Valuing Your Time More Than Money is Linked to Happiness: “It appears that people have a stable preference for valuing their time over making more money, and prioritizing time is associated with greater happiness,” said lead researcher Ashley Whillans http://spsp.org/press_release/valuing-your-time-more-than-money-linked-to-happiness?utm_source=sage_social&hootpostid=2cd8155f181030091e54784421fc199d 811 comments science
- A Father's Love is One of the Greatest Influences on Personality Development http://www.spsp.org/default.asp?page=pressrelease_12jun12 17 comments science