Are We Born Racist?

Health

How Others’ (And Our Own) Attitudes About Race Affect Our Health

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on August 7, 2012

Can immune and endocrine markers of health risk be affected by the attitudes people hold about one's group?

Can immune and endocrine markers of health risk be affected by the attitudes people hold about one's group?

“Willpower is often construed as a stoic self-denial in the service of a distant goal, a capacity to deliberately endure and suffer while 'biting the bullet.' But [there is] a less heroic approach." Research tells us what that is.

Bias

Human Origins and Africa

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on July 17, 2012

New research continues to suggest that modern humans originated in Africa, and spread to the rest of the planet from there. Frankly, I was hoping for different news, because, archaeology aside, this only makes the battle against modern prejudice steeper.

New research continues to suggest that modern humans originated in Africa, and spread to the rest of the planet from there. Frankly, I was hoping for different news, because, archaeology aside, this only makes the battle against modern prejudice steeper.

Bias

On Prejudice Against Fat People

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on July 10, 2012

Prejudice against fat people continues to be one of the deepest and most widely shared prejudices that the public holds. New science is helping to dispel the traditional "calories in-calories out" paradigm -- and the moral associations that come with it.

Prejudice against fat people continues to be one of the deepest and most widely shared prejudices that the public holds. New science is helping to dispel the traditional "calories in-calories out" paradigm -- and the moral associations that come with it.

Law and Crime

Which Sex Favors True Crime Stories?

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on June 28, 2012

The "True Crime" genre is often a staple of summer reading season. Gory, gruesome, and gut wrenching, the genre encompasses true stories of murder, rape, and other savagery.

Take a guess: Are you more likely to see a man or a woman with a true crime book under that beach umbrella?

The "True Crime" genre is often a staple of summer reading season. Gory, gruesome, and gut wrenching, the genre encompasses true stories of murder, rape, and other savagery.

Take a guess: Are you more likely to see a man or a woman with a true crime book under that beach umbrella?

Education

What Type of Learner Are You? (And Why It Doesn't Matter)

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on June 26, 2012

Parents and students alike love learning styles classifications-- active learners, observational learners, passive learners, visual learners, aural learners, assimilators, convergers.... There are a wealth of classification types out there, but these classifications may tell us more about our need to classify than about learning per se.

Parents and students alike love learning styles classifications-- active learners, observational learners, passive learners, visual learners, aural learners, assimilators, convergers.... There are a wealth of classification types out there, but these classifications may tell us more about our need to classify than about learning per se.

Anxiety

The Spotlight Effect

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on June 5, 2012

The "spotlight effect" refers to the fact that people considerably overestimate how much attention other people are paying to them. We simply do not loom quite as large in the eyes of others as we do in our own-- and knowing this can help us overcome embarrassment.

The "spotlight effect" refers to the fact that people considerably overestimate how much attention other people are paying to them. We simply do not loom quite as large in the eyes of others as we do in our own-- and knowing this can help us overcome embarrassment.

Attachment

The Dependency Paradox: Why People Are Not Like Feet

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on May 23, 2012

According to what I call the "plantar theory of human nature," people are like feet. The foot that is always protected by cushioned sneakers will never develop a layer of hard skin. It will only lead to a need for more cushioning. How accurate is this intuitive theory?

According to what I call the "plantar theory of human nature," people are like feet. The foot that is always protected by cushioned sneakers will never develop a layer of hard skin. It will only lead to a need for more cushioning. How accurate is this intuitive theory?

Stress

The Precarious Couple Effect

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on May 15, 2012

Research shows that certain types of couples don’t work very well together. Precarious couples are the specific combination of a quiet, verbally inhibited man with a verbally disinhibited but highly critical woman. Part II of the series “When Not to Trust an Intuition of Compatibility”

Research shows that certain types of couples don’t work very well together. Precarious couples are the specific combination of a quiet, verbally inhibited man with a verbally disinhibited but highly critical woman. Part II of the series “When Not to Trust an Intuition of Compatibility”

A 2005 documentary by Kiri Davis, A Girl Like Me, replicates a famous study showing young African American children preferring to play with White rather than Black dolls. What are the implications for minority self-esteem and education?

Bias

Cultural Stereotypes, or National Character?

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on May 2, 2012

Is there really something to the impression that the French are different from Americans, who are different from, say, the Thai? Or do these impressions only amount to so many caricatures?

Is there really something to the impression that the French are different from Americans, who are different from, say, the Thai? Or do these impressions only amount to so many caricatures?

Self-Esteem

Writers, and Parents: Show, Don't Tell

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on April 17, 2012

One of the cardinal rules of writing is this: Show, Don't Tell. My 6-year old teaches me a valuable lesson in applying this rule not just to writing, but to parenting as well.

One of the cardinal rules of writing is this: Show, Don't Tell. My 6-year old teaches me a valuable lesson in applying this rule not just to writing, but to parenting as well.

Relationships

Sculpt Your Partner: Be Like Mike (Michaelangelo)

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on April 13, 2012

Researchers have described the Michaelangelo Phenomenon as one in which relationships grow by having one partner "sculpt" the other. But it's not about shaping your partner according to the vision of who you want them to be.

Researchers have described the Michaelangelo Phenomenon as one in which relationships grow by having one partner "sculpt" the other. But it's not about shaping your partner according to the vision of who you want them to be.

Trust

Star-Crossed Lovers: When NOT to Trust an Intuition of Compatibility

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on March 31, 2012

Think of how you might react to an online dating profile that said this: "I will treat you like you are God until you break my trust and then you are just another person…. warning ahead, I do have a very bad temper…. I do admit I will get jealous if you are always going over to one of your guy' friend's house…."

Think of how you might react to an online dating profile that said this: "I will treat you like you are God until you break my trust and then you are just another person…. warning ahead, I do have a very bad temper…. I do admit I will get jealous if you are always going over to one of your guy' friend's house…."

First Impressions

When Making Impressions, Mind Your (Other Party's) Manners

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on March 25, 2012

When we want to make a good impression, one of the most common mistakes we make is to forget the central role that the other party has in shaping our behavior. We become so preoccupied with what we should or should not do to that we easily forget the importance of the other—the job interviewer, our date, our partner's parents—in shaping their impression of us.

When we want to make a good impression, one of the most common mistakes we make is to forget the central role that the other party has in shaping our behavior. We become so preoccupied with what we should or should not do to that we easily forget the importance of the other—the job interviewer, our date, our partner's parents—in shaping their impression of us.

Bias

How Subtle Discrimination Affects Targets II: American as Apple Pie

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on March 21, 2012

Prejudice and discrimination do not have to be blatant or extreme to affect people. In this post, I explore how subtle comments about whether one belongs can affect behavior in ways that wouldn't be obvious. Are American minorities more likely to choose the greasy burger and fries when people question whether they are "really" American?

Prejudice and discrimination do not have to be blatant or extreme to affect people. In this post, I explore how subtle comments about whether one belongs can affect behavior in ways that wouldn't be obvious. Are American minorities more likely to choose the greasy burger and fries when people question whether they are "really" American?

Health

Perfect for Me: How to Idealize Your Partner for Relationship Health

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on March 14, 2012

Nobody's perfect, and conventional wisdom would hold that entering marriage starry-eyed and blind to your partner's weaknesses only foreshadows future disappointment and relationship trouble. Does our intuition match the research on partner idealization?

Nobody's perfect, and conventional wisdom would hold that entering marriage starry-eyed and blind to your partner's weaknesses only foreshadows future disappointment and relationship trouble. Does our intuition match the research on partner idealization?

Identity

Does White Identity Predict Positive or Negative Attitudes Towards Diversity?

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on March 6, 2012

In recent years, research on White identity has gained traction in the psychological literature, as researchers and clinicians have grown to realize that this group also struggles with questions such as, "what does it mean to be White in my culture," and "what does being White mean to me?"

In recent years, research on White identity has gained traction in the psychological literature, as researchers and clinicians have grown to realize that this group also struggles with questions such as, "what does it mean to be White in my culture," and "what does being White mean to me?"

Bias

Would You Be Nice to a Chauvinist Pig?

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on February 27, 2012

Imagine you are in a meeting at school or at work, and someone blurts out a clearly chauvinist or bigoted remark. Ask yourself: how would you respond? Would you put them in their place, or would you be too nice to confront?

Imagine you are in a meeting at school or at work, and someone blurts out a clearly chauvinist or bigoted remark. Ask yourself: how would you respond? Would you put them in their place, or would you be too nice to confront?

Bias

Jeremy Lin and Racism: How Subtle Discrimination Affects Targets

Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton Ph.D. on February 24, 2012

In last week's post, I compared Jeremy Lin to Jackie Robinson. One reader, Angela, astutely pointed out that the analogy is problematic: "There was an actual structure preventing such players from participating, a structure that doesn't exist for Asians or Asian-Americans today... Lin [is] not breaking a barrier." Does this make Lin's journey less significant?

In last week's post, I compared Jeremy Lin to Jackie Robinson. One reader, Angela, astutely pointed out that the analogy is problematic: "There was an actual structure preventing such players from participating, a structure that doesn't exist for Asians or Asian-Americans today... Lin [is] not breaking a barrier." Does this make Lin's journey less significant?