The Psychology Behind Political Debate

Last night's Republican caucuses in Iowa were entertaining, to say the least. 

In the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses, there was debate by the talking heads about whether "Iowa matters," and whether it was fair that Iowa gets to be the first state in the long road to the presidential nominations later this year. Read More

Why don't American citizens who are registered to vote turnout? Read More

As we get deeper into the 2012 political season, it's looking like it is going to be a hotly contested and potentially divisive presidential campaign. Read More

Thursday evening President Obama is addressing a joint session of Congress, detailing his new plans to jumpstart the American economy. Today's headlines are full of different accounts of what his plans might be, including hundreds of billions said to be allocated for additional economic stimulus. Read More

It's that time of year, many are headed off to college for the first time, or they are heading back for classes soon.  I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share some of my thoughts about how to be successful in college, based on my experiences as a student and professor. Read More

I confess --- I love politics.

But it seems that I'm a decided minority these days, as many Americans are angry and upset with their federal government.  The anger I hear has many sources, ranging from angst about the economy and the lack of jobs, to disgust with the current stalemate over the federal government's debt.  Read More

I'm sure you've witnessed this yourself: you see a couple in a heated political argument at a dinner party, at an event, or even a neighbor's house. You wonder: If they disagree so much about politics, why did they get together in the first place?  Read More

James Fowler, a professor at UC-San Diego, is engaged in highly innovative and important research at the crossroads of political science and biology. Read More

The holiday season is a great time to read some good books --- and a great time to give a good book as a gift!  Here are five books on psychology, neuroscience and poltiics that are on my reading list for the holiday season, in no particular order.   Read More

The second step in successful mentoring is Learning By Doing.

Assisting the mentee to be successful in his job and career requires that you work directly with him to teach the skills he needs to be successful  And one of the best ways to teach skills is by allowing the mentee to have practical, hands-on experience with the process he wants to master. Read More

Sometimes politics is a humorous business.  In the midst of a contentious electoral season, it's always refreshing to see politicians refrain from negativity --- and to poke fun at themselves and their opponents. Read More

In recent weeks, I've been reading that folks in Washington, especially Democrats, are concerned and worried about perceptions that President Obama's star is fading.  The NY Times' Matt Bai published a piece, "The Paradox of a Legislative President" recently that discusses these worries. Read More

Negativity pervades American politics. Read More

I have to confess, when I saw the breaking news headline that Al and Tipper Gore were separating after being married for 40 years, I didn't believe it.  Neither did my wife, who was sitting next to me when I read the news. And I still find it hard to believe. Read More