Description: Ok, at the risk of incurring your anger for not having passed these secrets along sooner (it is Christmas Eve as I write this), did you know that there is Psychological research into what makes something a good or at least better present and the differences between what gift givers think is the answer… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Social Cognition
The Psychological Science of Gift Giving
Description: Ok so, no pressure, but as we struggle into winter with coronavirus spikes and flares popping up and the prospect of more restrictions, closures, and lockdowns looming, we are also approaching the holiday, gifting season. Yes, I know, we do NOT need any more stress, do we? But, think of it this way, we… Read more »
Challenges to Admitting Defeat
Description: Somewhere in the aftermath of the American election (November 3, 2020) there will be (maybe) a point where the outgoing president acknowledges his loss. At least that is how it has gone in every previous American Presidential election. But, as of today, November 14, 2020, Donald Trump has not yet conceded the election to… Read more »
The Psychology of Covid-19: Your Behavioral-Immune System
Description: You are wearing a mask when you need to right? Its has become clear that mask wearing is perhaps the most important thing we can do to limit exposure to Covid-19 until a vaccine become readily available. What is also clear is that there are many factors involved in determining when people feel more… Read more »
The Urge to Punish: It Is Not All About Revenge
Description: What comes to mind when you think of punishment? Violent criminals? Disobedient children? Now how about revenge? Is revenge essentially defined as punishment for another’s act that harmed you or someone you care about? Or are there situations that may not involve blatant or intentional wrongdoing that may still warrant or lead to a… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19: Lies, Damn Lies, and Pandemic Lies
Description: There are lies, damn lies, and statistics, right? But what about pandemic lies? How many lies have you been telling lately, and about what? How common do you think it is these days for people to lie about their health status or symptoms? Why might people be lying more these days than was the… Read more »
Psychology of Racism, Bias, and Discrimination: Microaggressions and Racial Bias
Description: Recent events have intensified attention to issues of racial inequity and racism. In addition to helping people to understand the foundations of how racism is established and carried forward, Psychology can help people see and understand the many ways in which bias and racist assumptions can enter and shape day-to-day social interactions. Have you… Read more »
The Psychology of Covid-19: Wellbeing of Introverts and Extroverts
Description: I am sure you know quite a bit about personality. Based on what you know, what would you predict about the relative wellbeing of people who we might describe as extroverts and introverts in relation to their experiences with the current and recent states of their social worlds as a result of the circumstances… Read more »
Psychology of Covid-19 – Effects of Social Isolation
Description: I have posted previously about the non-obvious ways in which the social isolation imposed upon us by the Coronavirus pandemic have added to our levels of stress and anxiety. However, my focus in those posts was on the atypical or unnatural nature of alternative forms of social engagement such as video conferencing using Zoom…. Read more »
Psychology of COVID-19 – Reading Masked Faces: The Eyes
Description: In my previous post I talked about functional prosopagnosia or the notion that we seem to become “face blind” when we try to recognize people we know when they are wearing masks. What if, however, this is a moment in evolving time where we have to take an automated process (the complex processes involved… Read more »
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