Judging Thou Shalt vs. Thou Shalt Not
Virtually every religious tradition in the world has some version of the "Golden Rule". But sometimes there are subtle differences in the way the rule is stated. Compare, for example, "As ye would that...
View ArticleGrumpy Old Men
Human beings have an insatiable urge to categorize. This is especially the case when it comes to thinking about other people. More often than we may care to admit, our impressions of others are...
View Article"Reading Into" the Actions of Others
What sorts of things do people spontaneously infer about a stranger based on a single action? In other words, in what ways do people automatically go beyond the action itself and "read in" additional...
View ArticleUnderestimating How Moral We Are
What role do emotions play in moral decision-making?read more
View ArticleDo Desirable Places Seem Closer?
In the film "Swingers," Trent (Vince Vaughan) decides that nothing will lift the spirits of his mopey, lovesick friend Mike (Jon Favreau) like a quick jaunt to Las Vegas. With visions of a night of...
View ArticleJudging Those Who Do the Right Thing - Unintentionally
How do we judge someone who performs a moral act even though his or her heart isn’t into it? read more
View ArticleThe One Drop Rule: How Black Is "Black?"
According to actress Halle Berry, regardless of how her one-quarter Black daughter Nahla ultimately chooses to self-identify, as long as she has “one drop” of Black blood, the world will see her as...
View ArticleWhat Do People Believe About Genes and Race?
My colleagues and I have been digging deeper into what people believe exactly about the biology of race. In particular, we have been investigating people's beliefs about genetics. read more
View ArticleReaching Your Goals...Vicariously
The researchers wondered whether merely watching someone successfully complete a goal would lead people to be less motivated when they subsequently performed the same task.read more
View ArticleJudging the Sin By Judging the Sinner
Who's more evil, someone who abuses a person or someone who abuses a cat? Recent studies in social psychology suggest that distinctive behavior can carry disproportionate weight in people's moral...
View ArticleAre Powerful People More Memorable?
Recent research by a team of researchers led by Nathaniel Ratcliff of Penn State University suggests that the mind is exquisitely sensitive to power. Holding everything else constant, individuals with...
View ArticleSuccess Is in the Eye of the Beholder
Performing an act intentionally - that is, through conscious choice - has the effect of making ‘success' seem just a bit more successful. read more
View ArticleWhy Are People Willing to Let Bad Things Happen?
Which is morally worse: Pushing someone overboard to drown or doing nothing to save someone who is clearly drowning? Recent research suggests that people are more willing to opt for inaction because...
View ArticleUnderestimating Embarrassment
Research suggests that people who are in a position to give help regularly fail to take the perspective of the potential help-seeker.read more
View ArticleWicked Desires
Recent research suggests that people consider someone who benefits from misfortune to be morally culpable even if that person had no role in causing the misfortune.read more
View ArticleAccidentally On Purpose
Imagine that Bob cleans his gun while plotting to kill his uncle. Suddenly, the gun accidentally goes off and the bullet hits a pedestrian walking down the street, killing the pedestrian instantly. Bob...
View ArticleYour Will Seems Stronger in the Future
The future seems to be wide open to multiple different outcomes, but no amount of exertion can change the past. According to recent research, this is why people believe their will to be stronger when...
View ArticleWhen Perspective Taking Backfires
Recent studies suggest that the relationship between perspective taking and stereotyping is not as simple as it seems. Under certain circumstances, taking another person's perspective can lead to...
View ArticleWhen the Goal of Generosity Looms Larger
Is giving $100 to your public radio station on the last day of their pledge drive different from giving $100 to the same station on the first day of the pledge drive? Logically speaking, it shouldn’t...
View ArticleAre Time and Space Psychologically Interchangeable?
Why does time sometimes fly and sometimes drag? Why does the same distance sometimes seem extra long and sometimes extra short?read more
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