Patriot Acts: Why the USA’s recent decrease in national glorification might be a good sign
keywords:
patriotism / nationalism / politics / national identity / glorification
Patriot Acts: Why the USA’s recent decrease in national glorification might be a good sign
In this blog post, I share a recent report which says that Americans are less fervent about their country now than they’ve been in the recent past. However, I also review some political psychology research on different styles of patriotism which suggests that this particular type of decrease might actually be a good thing for Americans. / more
When having meaning in life helps – and why
keywords:
hunter-gatherers / meaning / happiness / uncertainty
When having meaning in life helps – and why
This blog examines the search for meaning in life and gives an explanation for why people seek meaning. Briefly, modern life (relative to our hunter-gatherer past) places people in an uncertain position, and meaning in life can give us a sense that difficulties in life will pay-off. / more
Look at me! (Or don’t): Of society and showing off on Facebook
keywords:
self-promotion / Facebook / social networking sites / culture / relational mobility
Look at me! (Or don’t): Of society and showing off on Facebook
Shameless self-promotion on Facebook. Love it or hate it, there’s always someone doing it. And many of us are guilty of it. But why do we do it? Comparing Facebook users in the US and Japan, I suggest it’s the power of the social context that may determine who struts their stuff, and why. / more
Can you replicate that?
keywords:
replication / solid science / methods
Can you replicate that?
The two previous “Solid Science” posts for this blog have covered important changes taking place in experimental psychology. If you have not read them, I recommend you do. In this post I report on another, larger change occurring in the field: the replication movement. / more
Blame. What is it good for?
keywords:
morality / blame / motivation / warrant / conflict
Blame. What is it good for?
Is blame for retribution and revenge? Or is blame for managing others’ behavior? I argue that while the former answer is dominant in social psychology, it predicts a dysfunctional system of blame that explains only a small portion of why people blame. Instead, I suggest that blame is better understood as a tool for changing the way people behave. / more
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
keywords:
school / Aggression / bullying / peer group / social identity
Foul-weather friends: Social psychology and school aggression
In my last post, I discussed a striking observational study why peer only help infrequently, but I focused my discussion on the point of view of those who are bullying. In this post, I'll look at the perspective of the bullied victims. When it comes to the social psychology of aggression in schools, it seems that groups can both be a part of the problem and the solution, and I will discuss ways on how to attain this. / more
Living in a safer world: Offering help when surrounded by others for the sake of reputation
keywords:
bystander effect / reversed bystander effect / violence
Living in a safer world: Offering help when surrounded by others for the sake of reputation
Almost every single day you hear and read terrifying news about violence. A football team kicks the arbiter to death (Mohamed, 2013), two teenagers beat up a 14-year-old boy (Lai, 2012), and a 17-year-old boy is stabbed to death (Mercer, 2013), to name just a few. With all this media attention on violence, it’s not strange that most people believe our world today is more dangerous than ever. Indeed, most people believe violence has increased the past decades. However, believe... / more
Revisiting the past can make the present a better place: The psychological and social benefits of nostalgia
keywords:
Nostalgia / emotion / Psychological health / Distress / Psychological threat
Revisiting the past can make the present a better place: The psychological and social benefits of nostalgia
For centuries nostalgia was viewed as an illness of the brain or mind. The consensus was that nostalgia caused physical and mental distress and by orienting people’s attention to the past, it prevented them from living fully and healthily in the present. However, this view lacked scientific support. In recent years, social psychologists have employed scientific methods to more systematically consider the psychological effects of ... / more
Smile! And I tell you where you’re from
keywords:
culture / emotion / facial expression / universality
Smile! And I tell you where you’re from
Although popular belief (and a heartwarming children’s song) holds that we all laugh in the same language, recent research has found that people are remarkably adapt at detecting local accents in the way that emotions are expressed. In this blog, I will review the research that suggests that the long-assumed universality of emotions is limited. / more
Smartphones: A threat to well-being?
keywords:
smartphones / recovery / resources / psychological detachment / well-being
Smartphones: A threat to well-being?
Nowadays, smartphones appear to play an inevitable role both in our work and private life. However, when it comes to work-related use, smartphones can hamper recovery and thus, pose a threat to our well-being. In this blog-post, I review recent studies on how and when potential side-effects may occur. / more