online archive
5:00PM
DEC 27 2007
Psychology roundup
The appeal of the underdog: Research is published on the scope of people’s support for those who are expected to lose, seeking to understand why people are drawn to the Rocky Balboas and the Davids (versus Goliaths) of the world. The distinction between "different" and "uncool": A new study reveals an important distinction between non-membership in a group and groups with which we want to avoid association — and also highlights the mitigating effect of social pressure. An article on the truth about lying: Our lives are filled with untruths — but why do we lie, and how can we tell when others are full of it? Shankar Vedantam on how bad ideas can be contagious. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren’t more compassionate more of the time. A look at how reminders of mortality bring out the charitable side. A review of The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness by Jeff Warren. More on Psychogeography by Will Self. More on Steven Pinker's The Stuff of Thought. Are some experiences so horrific that the human brain seals them away, only to recall them years later? How powerful is the "power of persuasion"? Yes! 50 Secrets From the Science of Persuasion lists the psychological tricks you can play on people to make them say "Yes!" to doing strange and unusual things — but the human mind is not putty that can be moulded.
