The Essential Read

Fort Hood Fallout

By Sam Sommers on November 7, 2009 in Science Of Small Talk

Psychologists call it illusory correlation. The idea is that when we think about others, we tend to overestimate the association between groups and distinctive actions. It's one of the ways in which societal stereotypes are perpetuated and endure . And it's exactly what has many an American Muslim concerned in the wake of this week's tragic shooting spree at the Fort Hood Army base... Read More

Murder and Mayhem at Fort Hood: Post-traumatic Embitterment, Madness, or Political Terrorism?

By Dr. Stephen A. Diamond, Ph.D. on November 6, 2009 in Evil Deeds

What could possibly possess an apparently polite, pleasant, quiet, reserved, compassionate, empathetic, forgiving and deeply religious Army psychiatrist to allegedly commit this incredibly evil deed? Read More

"Precious" and the Power of Writing

By Carlin Flora on November 5, 2009 in Brainstorm

The crux of the new film "Precious" has a basis in research psychology. Read More

Disproving Myself

By Nelson Cowan, Ph.D. on November 5, 2009 in The Full Brain

This is my first blog post for Psychology Today and I will jump right in. The already-active bloggers were asked for this month's print issue to describe one psychological finding that they have used to change their own behavior. Read More

Does sleeping in on weekends keep your weight down?

By Dennis Rosen, M.D. on November 5, 2009 in Sleeping Angels

The connection between insufficient sleep and overweight and obesity in all ages is well recognized. So if kids aren't getting enough sleep during the week, does letting them sleep in on weekends keep them from becoming overweight? It may. Read More

Why Don’t We Help? Less Is More, at Least When It Comes to Bystanders

By Melissa Burkley, Ph.D. on November 4, 2009 in The Social Thinker

On October 24th, 2009, as many as 20 witnesses watched as a 15 year old girl was brutally assaulted and raped outside a homecoming dance in Richmond, CA. Read More

Born to Perform

By Joshua Gowin on November 4, 2009 in You, Illuminated

People like Paul McCartney seem to be naturals, born performers, but most of us would shiver in our boots at the prospect of playing sold-out shows to stadiums of fans. The ability to stay cool could be due to the structure of the brain. Read More

Good Girls and Alpha Guys

By Dr. Judith Sills on November 3, 2009 in Irrational Expertise

"I cannot stand to disappoint him. It goes way beyond doing my best. It's doing my best with a claw in my chest." -- Third year associate, speaking of the law partner to whom she is assigned. Read More

Who’s Your Daddy? Global Nonpaternity Rates.

By Gad Saad, Ph.D. on November 2, 2009 in Homo Consumericus

Do you know what the probability is that a man other than the one who is officially known as the father has sired a given child? Read on to find out what the global nonpaternity rates are. This puts a whole new twist to the phrase "Who's your daddy?"

Putting God out of the ethics business

By Austin Dacey, Ph.D. on November 2, 2009 in The Secular Conscience

Sometimes it is said that human life is valuable because we are made in the image of God. It is not that we find life to have worth because we believe we are made in the image of God, but rather that we believe we are made in the image of God because we find life to have worth. Read More

Increase Tips with Persuasion Cues

By Steve Booth-Butterfield, Ed.D. on November 2, 2009 in Persuade Me

Think bigger about persuasion and tips. There's more going on and you can benefit from it. Read More

Why Your Friends Have More Friends Than You Do

By Satoshi Kanazawa on November 1, 2009 in The Scientific Fundamentalist

One of my all-time favorites among all the scientific papers that I have ever read in my life is “Why your friends have more friends than you do,” published in the American Journal of Sociology in 1991 by my old sociology friend Scott L. Feld, who is now Professor of Sociology at Purdue University. Read More

Broken Symmetry: Nobel physicist explains why you miss old places, friends

By Jeremy Sherman, Ph.D. on November 1, 2009 in Ambigamy

The bittersweet sad intense pain of missing a place, a person, a crew, a time.

What's with that? How does that happen? Here's a take on it you probably haven't heard before.
Read More

Why does our society hate children?

By James C. Kaufman, Ph.D. on October 31, 2009 in And All That Jazz

There are some situations where it is necessary to take a child into the public eye. One that's on my mind right now (because we're traveling quite soon) is plane rides. I have seen the most egregious behavior here - from adults. Read More

Darling, Do You Really Want To Reject Me?

By Aaron Ben-Zeév, Ph.D. on October 30, 2009 in In the Name of Love

Romantic Ideology describes the best case scenario of love that only very few people will ever experience-a passionate love that lasts forever. A more common experience in the romantic realm is that of separation, which is often interpreted as rejection. The essential role of love in our life, and our profound personal involvement in love, makes such separation very painful. Read More

Reality Mining

By Prof. Alex "Sandy" Pentland on October 30, 2009 in Reality Mining

What is the new science of reality mining? Read More

It's OK for kids to dress up evil for Halloween

By Ethan Gilsdorf on October 30, 2009 in Geek Pride

Educators and parents, let's not unduly limit what or who kids can be at Halloween. We all need to tap into our scary sides. To be both scared and to frighten others. We need to know what it is to be freaked out, even to risk death (in a safe way), so we can understand what it is to be alive. Read More

The Uncertainty Paradox

By Jeff Bell on October 29, 2009 in Beyond the Doubt

I know a secret--a deeply profound, life-changing secret--one learned through the school of hard knocks in one of its most grueling courses. It is nothing short of the very key to living with uncertainty, this secret. Okay. Here goes: The secret to living with uncertainty is . . . Read More