Archive

Yielding to temptation: How and why some people are better at controlling themselves

Implementing New Year’s Resolutions

Each New Year has something magical about it. At the first of January a brand new year lies ahead of us, it is always a bit like “starting all over”. Almost everybody has made their New Year resolutions, planning to do everything this new year better than in the previous years. This time, we promised ourselves to quit smoking or nail biting, to lose weight, to finally start the renovation of our bathroom, to visit our family more often, etc. Funny enough, the plans we make are quite similar to the plans we made the years before. This is because at New Year’s Eve we realize that we did not manage to reach all the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. / more

On the dark and bright sides to vengeance: Cognitive, behavioral and affective consequences of aggression

In the present article it is argued that aggression or more specifically, taking revenge has contrary to previous research findings not only negative (i.e., aggression increasing) but also positive (i.e., aggression reducing) consequences. Whereas aggressive thoughts and aggressive behavior might be reduced by taking revenge, negative feelings most likely increase. Thus, a fine-grained analysis of the consequences of revenge is warranted. / more

General action and inaction goals: Definitions & effects

What motivates a person to go out and do the things that they do? This is a deceptively simple question that has kept scientists and philosophers busy for thousands of years. We discuss the role of activity and inactivity in goals. / more