Psychology
You have seen lots of advertisements for causes or companies asking you to 'like' them on Facebook. In the world of pretend Internet money, a 'like' has value but charities know the cold, bleak truth; once people have taken the action you ask for, they feel like they have done their part for a long time, so asking for a 'like' or a 'Tweet' is going to cost a donation.
A new analysis from scholars at the University of British Columbia adds fuel to assertions that social media platforms are turning people into "slacktivists" by making it easy for them to feel like they associate with or…
Narcissus, the physically flawless character of Greek mythology, wound up falling in love with his own reflection. It isn't a good role model, and for that reason it is an insult thrown around by amateur therapists even more often than "he has Asperberger's".
In clinical terms, narcissism comprises at least two largely distinct patterns of behavior associated with different traits: Vulnerable narcissism is marked by excessive self-absorption, introversion and over-sensitivity, while grandiose narcissism is characterized by an extroverted, self-aggrandizing, domineering and flamboyant…
There's good news and there's bad news to deliver. Which do you want to give first? What if you are getting it? The best strategy depends on whether you are the giver or receiver of the bad news, and if the news-giver wants the receiver to act on the information, according to a new paper.
The process of giving or getting bad news is difficult for most people, particularly when news-givers feel unsure about how to proceed with the conversation, psychologists Dr. Angela M. Legg and Professor Kate Sweeny note. "The difficulty of delivering bad news has inspired extensive popular media articles…
A new paper says that people who are aware of their own thoughts and emotions - mindful - show less neural response to positive feedback than their less mindful peers.
That means they are typically less impulsive.
Trait mindfulness is characterized by an ability to recognize and accept one's thoughts and emotions without judgment. Mindful individuals are much better at letting their feelings and thoughts go rather than getting carried away.
Using electroencephalography (EEG), the brain activity of students was recorded while they completed a reaction time task on a computer. The…
A team of psychologists have determined that stress eating is more of a yo-yo than a simple pattern; they say stress eaters show a dynamic pattern of eating behavior that could have benefits in non-stressful situations.
Not everyone eats more under stress. Many people instead eat less, so it is assumed that stress eaters have a bad habit that they need to regulate. To find out, the psychologist recruited volunteers to participate in a study on "first impressions." The participants interacted with an unfamiliar partner by video before meeting them in person. After making their own…
A new psychology paper has found that, ethically, we get worn down over the course of a day. Our ability to avoid cheating or lying gets significantly reduced, making us more likely to be dishonest in the afternoon than in the morning, according to the authors - a conclusion which also defaults to the idea that we are biologically inclined to be cheat.
Self-control and many motor skills are obviously impacted by exhaustion or lack of rest, so people can certainly become more reckless. With that as a premise, the authors wants to find out when it would be easier to resist…
You might think that health care professionals would become jaded to the plights of people over time - especially in an intensive care ward for burn patients.
Not so, according to a paper which catalogs the emotional and psychological anguish, known as "moral distress," experienced by nurses in an intensive care unit for burn patients.
A burn ICU can be an intense work environment. Many patients suffer significant pain and disfigurement. They may be in the ICU for weeks, and require numerous procedures and surgeries.
Moral distress consists of painful feelings and associated emotional and…
It's counterintuitive but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms and poorer quality of life than older patients, accordin to Mayo Clinic results.
Fibromyalgia is a non-specific disorder,
characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain with fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues that most often strikes women. The researchers presented their findings at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting and suggest the disorder plays out differently among different age groups.
They divided 978 fibromyalgia patients into three age groups: those 39 or…
Advertising relies on repetition because some repetition increases likability.
While established brands can coast a little - you never see advertising for Dinty Moore Beef Stew because it is awesome - new brands rely on gaining popularity due to excessive exposure and repetition.
When many people first saw the term "Google", they confused it with "Goober", the lazy man's peanut butter and jelly, for slackers who don't even care enough to spread them separately and that did not help likability, but repetition and excessive exposure made Google the top brand on the Internet, and…
As we near the end of 2013, if a mutual fund manager does not have successful Company X - be it Netflix or anything else that has done well this year - the owners of the mutual fund shares are going to have a lot of questions.
As a result of that competitive pressure, the mutual fund manager may buy Company X - at its all-time high, after others are quite profitable in it - just to show it in the portfolio.
A humanities scholar at the University of Missouri researcher has further found that institutional mutual fund investors have built their own mythology about Boards of Directors. An '…