Cultural Animal

How we find meaning in life.
Roy F. Baumeister

The Reality of the Male Sex Drive

Do the Laws of Physics Permit Any Exceptions?

If meaning, symbolism, and social reality are real AND are not physical things, then not all reality is physical.

John Bargh and Some Misunderstandings About Free Will

Bargh and Baumeister debated free will for 90 minutes at the giant SPSP convention in Tampa. These are Baumeister's thoughts after the debate. 

Free Will at the Tampa SPSP Conference: The Great Debate

Do human beings have free will? Or is every human action the inevitable result of prior events and external causes? Or both?
Determinism Is Not Just Causality

Determinism Is Not Just Causality

Determinism is the belief in the 100 percent inevitability of everything that happens. That requires a huge leap of faith. 
Just Exactly What Is Determinism?

Just Exactly What Is Determinism?

Should Football Penalize Celebrating and Taunting?

Should Football Penalize Celebrating and Taunting?

Languages Are Vanishing: So What?

Languages Are Vanishing: So What?

Why I Don’t Vote

Why I Don’t Vote

Prejudice and the Election

Prejudice and the Election

Single Sex Schools?

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

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

Sex and Politicians

Sex and Politicians

The John Edwards confession should nudge us to realize that we cannot afford to disqualify political candidates based on sex.
Will Companies Discriminate Against Children of Single Parents?

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?

That's Just F**kingly Great: If "F**king" 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?
The Evolution of Economic Rationality: Do Monkeys Understand Money?

The Evolution of Economic Rationality: Do Monkeys Understand Money?

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

Narcissism and Celebrity Relationships

Why do celebrity relationships fail? Narcissism is a likely culprit. It is good for starting but not for sustaining relationships.
One Ideal Image of Manliness

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.

Fathers Who Leave

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

Why Does Money Matter? The Psychological Meaning of Money

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

Nature Against Culture in the 22nd Century

Nature vs. culture over population

Searching for Behavior in Behavior Science

 A recent conference highlighted the dwindling presence of behavior in psychology, the so-called science of behavior.

Winning the War, Losing the Peace in Iraq: Implications for Psychology

 The outcome in Iraq presents challenges and opportunities for psychology.