latest articles
"We are on the same wavelength!" The creation of a shared reality and its relationship with uncertainty reduction and connection with others
People seek connection by finding that they share the same understanding of things in the world. This creates a shared reality that builds connection and confidence, reinforcing... / more
- written by Matteo Masi & Yael Bar-Shachar
- edited by Stella Wernicke
How body language helps us understand other people’s emotions
Social interaction is a complex phenomenon. When we want to know what our fellow human beings are feeling, we have various sources of information at our disposal. One major source is the human body and body language. By observing another person’s body language, we can infer not only what they are doing but also why they are doing it and even what they are feeling at... / more
- written by Britta Krüger, Julia Bachmann & Jörn Munzert
The psychology of digital disconnection: Why we want to use digital media less and if we should even try to
Digital detox, digital minimalism, and smartphone free schools reveal a desire to reduce or change how we use technologies. However, disconnecting from digital communication like smartphones and... / more
- written by Julius Klingelhoefer & Alicia Gilbert
- edited by Jana Dreston
Bug or feature? Boredom feels aversive, and this is why it matters
In class, during exercise, at work: boredom is an everyday experience that is generally regarded as an annoying and rather useless nuisance. In keeping with this attested uselessness, boredom had not gathered much research interest for a long time. Fortunately, this has changed and new and exciting research paints a different picture of boredom, highlighting its... / more
- written by Wanja Wolff, Katja Rewitz & Dr. Maik Bieleke
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most read articles
The good, the bad, and the ugly of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has been called a lot of things, from a “game changer” and “a breath of fresh air”, to “hypocritical”, “sexist”, and “sneaky”. So why has the campaign, whose major innovation was to use ads that featured real women rather than airbrushed models or celebrity spokespersons, sparked so much controversy? Taking... / more
- written by Angela Celebre & Ashley Waggoner Denton
- edited by Rosanna Guadagno & Reine van der Wal
That human touch that means so much: Exploring the tactile dimension of social life
Interpersonal touch is a fundamental but undervalued aspect of human nature. In the present article, the authors review psychological research showing that even fleeting forms of touch may have a powerful impact on our emotional and social functioning. Given its... / more
- written by Mandy Tjew A Sin & Sander Koole
- edited by Hans IJzerman
Intergroup Contact Theory: Past, Present, and Future
In the midst of racial segregation in the U.S.A and the ‘Jim Crow Laws’, Gordon Allport (1954) proposed one of the most important social psychological events of... / more
- written by Jim A. C. Everett
- edited by Diana Onu
No strings attached: Are “friends with benefits” as complicated in real life as they are in the movies?
Many people become “friends with benefits” to avoid drama and to have sex without getting tied up in emotions; however, the reality is that having a friend with benefits often becomes complicated. Why is that, and is there anything you can do to avoid these complexities? In... / more
- written by Justin J. Lehmiller
- edited by Dylan Selterman
InMind blog
Call for editors for a Special Issue on the “Psychology of Artificial Intelligence”
Are you an AI... / more
Phubbing: When love slips through the screen
We all know this situation: we want to tell the other person something, but they only have eyes for their smartphone. This behavior has a name: Phubbing.... / more
Bedtime procrastination: I know I should go to bed but …
Perhaps, most people are aware that sleep is important and know the consequences of cutting nights short. However, many people delay their bedtimes from... / more