Psychology news

• Maybe you don’t have as much choice as you think

  05-08-2016 16:00
  
  A large proportion of your decisions aren’t independently made by you, says Oliver BurkemanOne excellent way to bring a dinner party to a close, if it’s late and you’d like your guests to leave, is to raise the philosophical question of “free will”. Do we have any? It certainly seems that way. Suppose I’m at the supermarket, about to reach for a jar of blackcurrant jam: surely it’s within my power to change my mind and switch to apricot? Yet some philoso
  
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• I’m a non-serious academic. I make no apologies for this | Dean Burnett

  05-08-2016 14:41
  
  A recent article condemned the use of social media by academics, arguing it is unprofessional, disrespectful and annoying. This article takes… a different viewWherever you go in the world, people are too busy checking their phones to really appreciate their surroundings. It’s so disappointing. Focusing on their breathtakingly impressive technological devices that allow access to endless information and constant communication with hundreds of friends, rather than looking up and ackno
  
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• A psychological trap: making sense of Donald Trump’s life and personality

  05-08-2016 13:30
  
  Despite Republicans urging Trump to be more congenial, his behavior only becomes more erratic – Dan P McAdams says there are three reasonsIn the science of human psychology, there is one universal truth: behavior is a function of the person and the situation. What we humans do is always a result of the interaction between our internal tendencies and the demands of the external environment.But Donald Trump seems to defy the psychological laws.Trump’s personality functions as a psychol
  
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• Big unknowns: what is consciousness? - podcast

  05-08-2016 12:41
  
  What does it mean to be you? And how can science unpick the age-old debates around conscious experience? Join us for a journey into the unknownEver since Descartes famously split the world into “mind” and “‘matter”, the debate amongst philosophers and thinkers about conscious experience has raged. And with recent advances in brain imaging technologies, scientists now offer a new and exciting viewpoint on this quintessential human phenomenon. But are we any closer to
  
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• Pope Says Schools Shouldn't Teach Children That Gender Is a Choice

  05-08-2016 12:11 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: CNN - Top StoriesPope Francis has denounced the teaching of gender identity to young children in schools, calling it terrible. "Today, in schools they are teaching this to children -- to children! -- that everyone can choose their gender," he said in a closed-door meeting to Polish priests and bishops in Krakow last Wednesday.
  
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• Millennials Don't Have More "Hookups," U.S. Study Concludes

  05-08-2016 12:11 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthPeople may think of millennials as being one right swipe away from a quick hookup, but a new study suggests many 20-somethings are actually having less sex than their parents did back in the day. “The misperception that millennials have a hook-up culture may be driven by the most promiscuous members of the generation, who are now able to advertise their exploits through social media,” said the lead study author.
  
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• After Attacks, Anti-Semitism Wanes in Parts of Europe

  05-08-2016 12:11 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportEarlier this summer, the Pew Research Center released a report with plenty of bad news for Europe's minorities. In five European countries – Hungary, Italy, Poland, Greece and Spain – 50 percent or more of people surveyed expressed negative opinions of Muslims. The Roma had it even worse. Among 10 countries surveyed, a median of 48 percent of people held unfavorable views of the group.
  
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• Brain Network of Psychopathic Criminal Functions Differently

  05-08-2016 12:10 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyA strong focus on reward combined with a lack of self-control appears to be linked to the tendency to commit an offence. Brain scans show that this combination occurs in psychopathic criminals, say researchers from Nijmegen in an article in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
  
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• Tokyo Election Shows Progress, But Gender Equity Still Elusive

  05-08-2016 12:06 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: USA Today - World NewsAs female leaders make new strides in the United States and Europe, Japan appears to be following suit — but still has a long way to go. Yuriko Koike, a former defense minister and TV news anchor, became the first woman elected governor of Tokyo this week, signaling a growing acceptance of female politicians in a society that men dominate to a greater extent than in other developed democracies.
  
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• Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: abuse accusations split Hollywood and public

  05-08-2016 12:00
  
  The former couple’s ongoing divorce and restraining order proceedings have scandalized Hollywood, splitting celebrities and fans into warring factionsThe very public accusations lobbed back and forth between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard - and their allies - have raised an ugly quandary of whom to believe in cases of alleged domestic violence.Lawyers representing Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are set to appear in court on Tuesday regarding the former couple’s ongoing divorce and restrain
  
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• UN Group Says Many Yazidis Missing, Held, 2 Years After Start of Genocide

  05-08-2016 11:56 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Reuters - World NewsThousands of Yazidis are being held captive by Islamic State in Syria where many are used for sexual slavery or forced to fight for the group, the United Nations said on Wednesday, on the second anniversary of what investigators termed a genocide.
  
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• Good attitudes about aging help seniors handle stress

  05-08-2016 11:00
  
  New research from North Carolina State University finds that having a positive attitude about aging makes older adults more resilient when faced with stressful situations.
  
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• Tinder: Users experience body dissatisfaction, body shame, low self-esteem

  05-08-2016 09:00
  
  A study examining the connection between Tinder use and psychological well-being finds users report negative body image perception and low self-esteem.
  
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