When Nothing Bad Happens but You’re Still Unhappy: Boredom in Romantic Relationships
keywords:
boredom / passion / relationships / understanding
When Nothing Bad Happens but You’re Still Unhappy: Boredom in Romantic Relationships
When one considers feelings and emotions in close, romantic relationships, many thoughts may come to mind: love, caring, understanding, and happiness, to name a few. Of course, romantic relationships are not always so rosy. When considering the dark side of relationships, plenty of negative feelings also arise: jealousy, arguing, and resentment, for example. However, this is not the whole picture. What is often left out or forgotten are the stretches of indifference or lethargy. Practically everyone who has been in a relationship, particularly long-lasting relationships, has experienced these slow, unemotional, un-arousing spells. We refer to these periods as relationship boredom. / more
Embodied Persuasion: How the Body Can Change our Mind
keywords:
attitudes / embodiment / position / self-validation
Embodied Persuasion: How the Body Can Change our Mind
The link between our mind and our bodily responses has long been studied by persuasion researchers. It goes back to the use of the term "attitude" to refer to the posture of one’s body (Galton, 1884), and to the notion that attitudes may reflect—and be influenced by—expressive motor behaviors (e.g., a scowling face can indicate a hostile attitude; Darwin, 1872). Colloquially, it is common to refer to an attitude as an individual’s position on an issue, although the meaning in... / more
How on Earth Do People Understand Each Other in Everyday Conversation?
keywords:
common ground / communication / grounding / miscommunication
How on Earth Do People Understand Each Other in Everyday Conversation?
Recently a student approached me after I gave a lecture on 'Interpersonal Communication' and asked a question about the course's textbook. I answered his question and we spoke for a while about this book. Yet, at a certain moment we realized he was talking about a Marketing textbook, whereas I was referring to the Communication textbook assigned for my course. It turned out that he was about to attend the next lecture, he had never... / more
Human, or Less than Human?
keywords:
human nature / humanity / infrahumanization / person perception
Human, or Less than Human?
It’s hard to imagine a more fundamental question for psychology than what it is that makes us human. It’s harder still to come up with an acceptable answer. Great thinkers through the ages have puzzled over the nature of human nature, and so have contemporary psychological theorists. Are we rational animals, intuitive scientists, naked apes, information-processing machines, or battlefields of intrapsychic conflict? Many writers have made suggestions about what makes us... / more