Cui Bono

Human behavior unpacked

John A. Johnson Ph.D.

When Men Behave Badly: A Summary of Problem Behaviors

David Buss shows how evolutionary psychology does not justify men's bad behavior but explains how that behavior can be changed. Part 2 of a 3-part book review.

When Men Behave Badly: How Evolutionary Psychology Can Help

Part 3 of 3: David Buss shows how evolutionary psychology does not justify men's bad behavior but explains how that behavior can be changed.

A Review of When Men Behave Badly by David Buss: The Background

David Buss shows how evolutionary psychology explains behavior and how that behavior can be changed. Part 1 of a three-part book review.

Schwartz model of relations among values

Are Your Values a Part of Your Personality?

Your values are what you care about the most, what really matters to you. But personality psychologists rarely include values as a part of personality. This is why.

How a Test Labels You as Introvert, Extravert, or In-Between

How can a psychologist tell from your answers to a personality quiz whether you are really an Introvert, Extravert, or In-Between?

Corona Virus COVID-19

Zombies and COVID-19

All of those end-of-the-world movies you've watched in your life were not just mindless entertainment. They may have helped you prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Environmentalism as Religion

Even nonreligious environmental activists evince a religious apocalyptic vision that undermines their credibility.

What Is Autonomy and Why Is It So Difficult to Achieve?

If we are the product of our parents' and peers' expectations, can we ever be truly autonomous?

What Creates Experiences of Magical Specialness?

What does it mean when things or people seems so special that they are not of this world?

When Right Is Not Right

Nearly all of us believe in moral truths, that certain things are objectively right or wrong. I explain why we accept moral truths, even though there are none.

Are All Personality Descriptions Social Constructions?

How do we know that our perceptions of personality are not just figments of our collective imagination?

Appeals to the Common Good as Immoral Manipulation

Although it seems obvious that we should all sacrifice for the "common good," who defines the common good? And shouldn't you get to choose who benefits from your self-sacrifice?

Psychological Research and Personal Agendas

John Lennon said, "We all want to change the world." Some think this can be done by creating feel-good stories about reality. We have a better chance by taking reality seriously.

Is Property Theft?

Can the cooperative, mutually beneficial relationships that characterized small human groups for most of history be revived in a modern economy?

Fundamental Attribution Error: Neither Fundamental Nor Error

Science should never publish fake news. And yet social psychology has published fake news about the "Fundamental Attribution Error" for decades. Why?

Who Benefits From Your Political Behavior? You Do!

The political right is convinced that they are saving civilization while the left is destroying it. The left believes the opposite. Both are acting in their own self-interest.

Hormones and Intelligent Choices

Biology is destiny. But you are your biology, so you are your own destiny, or at least an important part of it. Trying to deny biology will not make you more free.

The Psychology of Expectations

"What's wrong with expecting people to do what is right? Don't I have a right to feel resentful when they don't?" Find out what is wrong with that kind of thinking.

Measurement Validity Explained in Simple Language

How do we know that a test that allegedly measures shyness actually measures shyness?

Measurement Reliability Explained in Simple Language

Many "quizzes" on the Web have no demonstrated reliability or validity. What you need to know as an informed consumer about the reliability and validity of psychological tests.

Hypotheses About Gender Imbalance in Expressing Opinions

Why are more opinion letters published in the NYT written by male authors? I explore both hypotheses about the answer to this question and how theories determine our hypotheses.

What Mythology Reveals About the Mind

Can myths reveal truths about the mind? And did you know that the stories you tell about yourself can be useful myth-making?

How Do Psychologists Determine Personality Trait Levels?

Where, exactly, is the dividing line between introversion and extraversion? Or, for any trait, how do psychologists determine if you are low, average, or high degree on that trait?

War as a Game

It may seem absurd that we have rules of fair play that regulate the way we conduct wars. The ethological concept of ritualized aggression may help to explain the Law of War.

Vampires Are Real

While the formidable qualities of bad boys make them excellent protectors, these same qualities also make them potentially dangerous to women.

Biology Determines Every Thought, Feeling, and Behavior

Psychologists say behavior results from the interaction of biology and environment, yet argue about their relative importance. Read why the importance of biology is always 100%.

Why Lending With Interest Is Felt to Be Immoral

A mismatch between evolved feelings about fairness in exchanges and modern economic practices might eventually lead to a revolution against the current political/economic system.

Why Aren't We Doing Less With More?

New technologies allow to complete tasks much more quickly, potentially providing us with enormous amounts of free time. So why do we fill that time with more work instead of play?

Are Scores on the MBTI Totally Meaningless?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is not without its faults, but the criticisms leveled at this inventory by many of my colleagues are off-base.

The New Website for the International Personality Item Pool

Authorities have controlled psychological testing for decades. While this regulation might reduce harm, it also stifles creativity and progress. The IPIP is an antidote.

  • Previous
  • Page 1 (current)
  • Next