Psychology

Even tech experts have been astonished by the recent, rapid growth of AI technology, able to hold human-like conversations in multiple languages, create music and pass medical exams. While the potential benefits of AI in fields such as healthcare are indeed inspiring, the pace of change is rapid, and there is still lots of uncertainty about the future. If you feel worried about how AI could affect your career, your privacy or your safety in the coming years, you might be experiencing AI-nxiety. This term, coined by a marketing agency and spreading on social media, describes the uneasy feeling…

If you believed Monsanto controlled 500,000 biologists who accepted GMOs and weedkillers worldwide while Whole Foods, with more revenue, was standing alone selling organic food that made you healthier, you are a conspiracy theorist.  You're not alone, even if the demographics changed. A few years ago, conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his claims that cell phones cause cancer and vaccines cause autism were embraced by the crazy fringe of the Democratic Party, like Organic Consumers Association and their puppet attack groups such as US Right To Know and SourceWatch. Now he is…

If you have traveled, you have seen someone who is a frequent traveler be offered an upgrade but decline because they are with someone else and want to stay together. This is rare in other species.  Yet not all experiences get equal treatment - if a parent is traveling with a child they may take the upgrade to give it to the child - and a new paper sought to understand how consumers make trade-offs between experience quality and togetherness. The authors write that consumers prioritize physical togetherness with relationship partners over opportunities that would improve an experience in…

In the 1990s, culture seemed to truly get that cigarettes and the damage they cause are the leading preventable lifestyle killer. Tobacco companies got penalized to the tune of tens of billions of dollars for their part in suppressing data showing the harms of smoking but instead of celebrating the win and using that money to promote smoking cessation and harm reduction, much of it went to trial lawyer yacht payments and the "expert witnesses" they support.  Some went to anti-smoking groups, who were now reliant on Big Tobacco money and, you guessed it, then had to get allied…

A decade ago, automated telephone menus were what everyone hated. It was common to press 0 or yell 'Agent' at the phone because you knew that after inputting everything it wanted, when you got to an agent they were going to ask you for everything all over again. Today, you probably ignore the chat window that opens up on a website, especially if you think it is a bot. A Verizon bot is going to be able to help you with nothing, so going back to find your account number, which means closing the chat window, is a waste of time, when the real agent who replies will ask for it all over again(1) In…

Volunteering often makes us feel good but does it mean better health? Epidemiologists in a new paper argue it does, but the confounders are obvious; parents who take their kids to volunteer are often wealthier and in better health and on surveys about their kids claim better outcomes. The work originated from parent-reported survey data of 22,126 children (6 to 11 years) and 29,769 adolescents (12 to 17 years) in the 2019 to 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health. The authors adjusted and weighted the data to reflect their beliefs about the demographic composition of youths in each state.…

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a United Nations epidemiology group headquartered in France, could be in ethical hot water again over the claim by a Ramazzini Institute leader that seems to know in advance that IARC will consider aspartame a carcinogen - a designation which leads to automatic warning labels or even bans in places like California, which under Proposition 65 turned over its science to IARC last century. “I am sure that even for aspartame, present in about six thousand consumer products, the evaluation of the new results will lead to confirmation of its…

Bud Light may create a marketing campaign to try and increase its brand but when it comes to pricing, experimentation isn't needed. If you want the most sales, target people who shop prices. It is certainly true that if you have a product during a fad wave, you can charge more. Or, if supplies of a product are scarce, prices will be higher. Yet limited supply means limited revenue. The big money is instead in those who are price shoppers.  A new paper deflates some concerns “showrooming”, those who go to a store to try something and then buy it cheaper online. While it can certainly work…

Behavioral data often reveal differences that don't show up on surveys, where answers are free and often aspirational. Data show, for example, that men donate more than women while people who support charities more also have more conservative political stances. The rational is they choose the organizations they want to help, the ones doing work they like. Yet if you get a coffee paid for by the person in front of you at Starbucks, it is likely someone on the left. Charity and generosity are often distinct.  A new survey isn't actual behavior but it does lend to the belief that left wing…

What would you do to get more likes or shares on your favorite social media platform this April Fool’s Day? Would you blast an airhorn in your partner’s ear while they’re sleeping, record and upload their reaction online? Would you put hot chilli in their food, then film and share their distress? Online prank videos are nothing new, and while many are lighthearted, a concerning sub-genre called “clout-lighting” has been emerging across the internet. But in case you might be planning to clout-light your partner this April Fool’s Day, research shows it’s a surefire way to get dumped…