This is the story of my all-time favorite psychology study, with enormous implications for what it means to be human. Two behavioral scientists, John Darley and Daniel Batson, were interested in studying the psychology of prosocial behavior. Why do people do good things for others? To examine this question, they decided to study students at …
Article of the Day: My Favorite Psychology Study Read More »
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE? NO, SAYS MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN. Despite being published nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein continues to dominate popular culture. The story charts the tragic happenings of Victor Frankenstein, devoted student of natural philosophy, as he becomes a creator, gives life to a pseudo-human monster and suffers the consequences. Even those …
Picture yourself sunk deep in red crushed velvet sipping icy cold cola with the smell of warm buttered popcorn. As bright images fade and the sonorous sounds of the last movie trailer silence, gaze deeply at fluorescent blue words scrolling upon a pitch black screen: “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”… …
Article of the Day: The Most Powerful Weapon Of Influence In Human History Read More »
Starting a university degree can be something of a culture shock. Students enter university after spending years in a closely structured school learning environment. They discover that there’s a different expectation in higher education: the onus of learning falls mostly on them. In South Africa, another complication arises for those students who speak English as …
Better Note-Taking can Help Students who Struggle with English Read More »
The development of email and texting has enhanced our ability to communicate productively, efficiently, and quickly. But, based on new research into how human communication works, it’s easy to see a downside to our over-reliance on emails and texts. In fact, some of our online habits may be undermining our efforts at communicate successfully. For …
Article of the Day: Why Email Is Only 7 Percent as Effective as Talking Read More »
I recently heard about a man who attempted to sneak his pet turtle onto a flight by placing it between two buns and wrapping it in a KFC wrapper. When he was discovered, he told the officials that he just couldn’t leave his beloved pet at home. I could relate! There have been times that …
Recent work in cognitive psychology has shown that our sense of what is normal is influenced both by what we take to be statistically normal and what we take to fit prescriptive norms. In other words, what people consider to be normal is a function of both what they consider to be widespread and what …
The march of the clowns Clown-like characters have been around for thousands of years. Historically, jesters and clowns have been a vehicle for satire and for poking fun at powerful people. They provided a safety valve for letting off steam and they were granted unique freedom of expression – as long as their value as …
Article of the Day: The Psychology of Clown Creepiness Read More »
When UVA sociology professor Jeffrey K. Olick visited the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial a few years ago, he saw something unexpected: a second monument had been erected there. Next to the original that honored Jews who revolted against the Nazis in 1943, the new one commemorated the 1970 visit of German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who spontaneously …
Article of the Day: Germans’ Changing Memories of World War II Read More »
If you assume that you understand why you think and act the way you do, you’re probably wrong. Decades of psychological research suggest that people behave in ways that are mysterious and perplexing — even to themselves. We sifted through the Quora thread, “What are some mind-blowing facts about social psychology?” and pulled out the …
Article of the Day: 11 Mind-blowing Psychology Findings on Daily Choices Read More »
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