Ulterior Motives

How goals, both seen and unseen, drive behavior

Art Markman Ph.D.

Kids and Adults Think Good People Are Happy People

What does it mean for us to think someone is happy? Good feelings are part of it, but being a good person may matter more.

The Benefits of Listening to Music When You Exercise

Chances are you have listened to music while exercising before. Did it actually have any benefits for you? Studies suggest that it probably did.

People Don’t Share Their Failures Often Enough

I often advocate for people to analyze their failures in order to improve for the future. But people rarely share their mistakes. Why?

Can Being Agreeable Lead to Financial Problems?

Your personality reflects the tuning of your motivational system. How does that relate to your attitudes toward money?

Narcissism and the Pursuit of Status

We know a lot more about what narcissists do than about why they do it. A new paper examines the "why" more closely.

You Might Use External Memory Aids Too Often

Research suggests people may rely on memory aids even when doing so is costly.

People Believe Others Are Essentially Good

A consequence of putting something in a category, is that you come to believe that it belongs in that category because it has some essence that makes it a member of that category.

Distance Affects What Makes You Feel Good or Bad

In order to determine whether something is good or bad, you need to compare it to something else. Comparisons also play a big role in your satisfaction with what you have.

You Worry More About Significant Others than Yourself

I have vivid memories of worrying about things my kids did when they were younger. Why was I more worried about them than about myself?

Time Pressure and Social Norms

In life, there is what you are supposed to do and what you actually do. Sometimes, those are the same things. How do you balance these pressures?

Should Everyone Act Like an Extravert?

A randomized controlled trial looked at what happens when you tell people to act like extraverts for a week.

Risky Behavior Among Teenage Boys May Be Contagious

The stereotype for teenagers (particularly teenage boys) is that they engage in risky behavior. A central question is the role of social influences on this risky behavior.

Other People Probably Like You More Than You Think They Do

You probably meet new people all the time. How good are judging whether they like you soon after you meet?

How Do Personality Traits Influence Values and Well-Being?

There are a variety of stable aspects of our selves that help us to define who we are. Two of the most prominent are personality traits and values.

Gratitude May Increase Self-Control

Gratitude has many benefits. When you’re feeling down, it can help you feel connected to others. Gratitude may also give a boost to people’s self-control.

Firearms and Suicide

In the United States, the debate about firearms continues. Does easy access to guns in the United States influence success of suicide attempts?

There Are Two Types of Misinformation

Over the last decade, people have become sensitive to “fake news.” This is a problem, because information in memory influence your beliefs, even if you know it is false.

The Evidence that Video Games Lead to Violence Is Weak

Politicians blame violent video games for mass shootings. Is there evidence to back up that claim?

What Have We Learned About Implicit Bias?

It's no secret that people have biases. But the nature of "implicit bias"—and whether it can be meaningfully changed—is less clear.

Value Also Drives Attention

There is a massive amount of information in the world. Three main factors influence which bits of information get deeper processing by the brain.

How Does Something Become a Moral Issue?

There are many things we choose to do or not to do that don’t seem to tap into our moral sense. What factors turn an issue into a moral issue?

People Combine Sources of Information to Judge Weight

You take in lots of information about the world through your sensory systems. How does this information combine to help you interact with the world?

The Benefits of Nonverbal Overconfidence

There are many ways to express that your level of confidence about something. How you do it affects the way people treat you.

Momentary Changes in Personality

When we talk about personality characteristics, we are often focusing on what psychologists call traits. Momentary changes, though, are states.

Learning About Attention from Magic

Magicians exploit the nature of our visual attention system to create illusions.

What Do People Think Is the Best Way to Give Charity?

Does the anonymity of a donor affect how a gift is perceived?

Repeated Giving Feels Good

For most experiences in life, no matter how good it makes you feel the first time it happens, it feels less good the more you experience it. Not so for giving.

Does What You Have Affect What You Give?

Does the amount of money someone has at a given time affect their generosity? At some level, it has to.

Memory Is (Partly) Organized Around Time

Many factors influence what you recall when you draw things from memory. An important one is time.

Underspending in Bad Times

You have probably had times when money burned a hole in your pocket. What happens, though, when economic times are bad?

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