Behavioral Psychology
Romantic Partners May Influence Young Adults’ Binge Drinking
If you ever dated someone your parents thought was a “bad influence,” it turns out they might have been onto something. Romantic partners may influence young adults’ binge drinking behaviors more than friends or family, at least according to new findings from researchers in Canada. In a study published recently in the journal Substance Abuse,…
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Hungry Kids Don’t Like to Share
It’s hard to be concerned with lofty philosophical principles when you’re hungry. A new study from researchers at University of Chicago underscores this point in the context of an ethical dilemma that children face every day: whether to share. Of course, children aren’t the only ones who need to remember to share, but this particular…
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What Makes a Good Swear Word?
The idea that something is a swear word doesn’t seem to be defined by innate properties of the word as much as by the fact that you’re simply not supposed to say it in polite company. In other words, a swear word becomes taboo when we collectively decide that we’re going to consider it taboo.…
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Sadness and Smoking
The idea that drugs can be an escape from negative emotions is well known. A recently published study from researchers at Harvard University gives us some more evidence for that idea, but adds a new twist. As it turns out, the emotion of sadness in particular, rather than negative emotions in general, may have an…
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Even a Little Alcohol Can Lead to Riskier Decisions on a Moped Simulator
The stakes of taking to the roads with alcohol in one’s bloodstream are extremely high, both for the person under the influence and for other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. For the person under the influence, perhaps nowhere are the stakes higher than when a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle, scooter or moped is in…
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The Psychological Separation Between “Meat” and “Animals”
People like animals. People also like to eat animals. This presents an obvious problem. It’s challenging to make a convincing case to yourself that you think animals are cute and want to protect their welfare in between swallowing mouthfuls of pork. You might recognize this as a classic example of cognitive dissonance, where people have…
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What Sets Good Liars Apart?
Everyone can lie, but not everyone can lie well. In fact, some research suggests that the demeanor of a liar is the most important factor in whether lies are detected, possibly more important than the deception detection abilities of the person being lied to. To learn more about the people who lie most effectively, a…
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Children Will Imitate Robots
Young children have a range of skills that make them phenomenal learners, and one of these skills appears to be copying the people around them. For better or for worse, children will imitate the behaviors they observe in others. Psychologists have come up with various theories about why children are such prolific imitators. One theory…
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Who Can Read Dog Body Language?
Humans are evolved to recognize emotions in each other’s nonverbal behavior. To some extent, we apply that ability not just to other humans but to animals as well. Nowhere is this more true, perhaps, than in the case of dogs. As far as animals go, dogs can be pretty expressive in demonstrating their emotions, which…
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Untangling the Links Between Sedentary Behavior and Depression
Among the detrimental effects that are increasingly being blamed on sedentary behavior are mental health conditions such as depression. In one study I wrote about a couple years ago, researchers found that just one week of sedentary behavior could significantly lower people’s life satisfaction. Figuring out why sedentary behavior and depression go together is more…
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