Cultural Animal

How we find meaning in life.

Roy F. Baumeister is Eppes Eminent Scholar, Professor of Psychology, and head of the social psychology graduate program at Florida State University. See full bio

September 19, 2008

Because She’s a Woman: Glass Ceilings, Female Politicians, and Hate Speech

Both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin referred to their candidacies as breaking glass ceilings. Must we regard such remarks as male-bashing hate speech?

Now that both major parties have fielded major female candidates, this nonpartisan blog can say a few words about common concerns. One is sexism.

August 12, 2008

Sex and Politicians

The John Edwards confession should nudge us to realize that we cannot afford to disqualify political candidates based on sex. Read More

August 6, 2008

Will Companies Discriminate Against Children of Single Parents?

Suppose companies find they can increase profits by preferentially hiring people raised by two parents. What should psychology, and society, do? Read More

July 28, 2008

That's Just Fkingly Great: If "Fking" Is an Adjective, What Is the Adverb?

To allow our language’s communicative efficacy to deteriorate would be f**kingly stupid. What should be the adverb form of f**king? And what does it mean? If something is ridiculous but not f**kingly ridiculous, how would one express that? Read More

July 15, 2008

The Evolution of Economic Rationality: Do Monkeys Understand Money?

To gain perspective on human financial decisions, one may ask, what would monkeys do? Read More

July 5, 2008

Narcissism and Celebrity Relationships

Why do celebrity relationships fail? Narcissism is a likely culprit. It is good for starting but not for sustaining relationships. Read More

June 30, 2008

One Ideal Image of Manliness

Seeing a quiet, gentle man thrown into a desperate situation and taking heroic responsibility to care for others might just inspire some of our boys to become better men. Read More

June 23, 2008

Fathers Who Leave

How could a man leave his wife and children for another woman? Read More

June 18, 2008

Why Does Money Matter? The Psychological Meaning of Money

Money enables the owner to move the social system, to give him what he wants. Read More

June 2, 2008

Nature Against Culture in the 22nd Century

Nature vs. culture over population Read More

Books by Roy F. Baumeister

Social Dimension of Sex, The

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Most of us have things about ourselves we wish we could improve. Lasting change is difficult—many of our habits are deeply ingrained, and certain aspects of ourselves, such as core personality attributes, may be immutable. But many more things can be changed.

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