Does reading fiction make us nicer?
s. Reading fiction makes us more likely to do kind things for others: Theorists from diverse disciplines purport narrative fiction serves to foster empathic development and growth. In two studies, participants’ subjective, behavioral, and perceptual responses were observed after reading a short fictional story. In study 1, participants who were more transported into the story exhibited higher affective empathy and were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior. In study 2, reading-induced affective empathy was related to greater bias toward…
1 min read
Is there a connection between love and delusion?
ople with positive illusions about their relationship are more satisfied, score higher on love and trust and have fewer problems: It is proposed that satisfying, stable relationships reflect intimates' ability to see imperfect relationships in somewhat idealized ways-to make a leap of faith. Both members of dating and married couples completed a measure of relationship illusions, tapping idealized perceptions of the partners' attributes, exaggerated perceptions of control, and unrealistic optimism. Results of concurrent analyses revealed that relationship illusions predicted greater…
2 minutes
Circumcision Causes Orgasm Problems For Men *And* Women
s: Background One-third of the world’s men are circumcised, but little is known about possible sexual consequences of male circumcision. In Denmark (~5% circumcised), we examined associations of male circumcision with a range of sexual measures in both sexes. Methods Participants in a national health survey (n = 5552) provided information about their own (men) or their spouse’s (women) circumcision status and details about their sex lives. Logistic regression-derived odds ratios (ORs) measured associations of circumcision status with sexual experiences and current difficulties with…
2 minutes
How You Can Easily Become Mentally And Physically Stronger
part of many social groups. The support and activity makes you better able to deal with stress and to recover from physical challenges. From Science Daily: Being a part of many different social groups can improve mental health and help a person cope with stressful events. It also leads to better physical health, making you more able to withstand -- and recover faster from -- physical challenges, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science. Belonging to…
1 min read
How can you learn to be more charismatic?
er at the excellent BPS Research Digest there's a great review of research on charisma. Is it something that can be learned? Yes: Managers who underwent training saw their charisma ratings significantly grow, relative to those who didn't. What are the techniques that make someone more charismatic? Framing through metaphor. Stories and anecdotes. Demonstrating moral conviction. Sharing the sentiments of the collective. Setting high expectations. Communicating confidence. Using rhetorical devices such as contrasts, lists, and rhetorical questions together with non-verbal tactics such as body gesture, facial expression,…
1 min read
How do siblings shape your personality?
borah Kotz has an interesting piece in the Boston Globe that highlights research findings from the new book The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us: Firstborns and only-children, for example, have a 3-point higher IQ on average compared with those born second, according to 2007 Norwegian study cited in the book, and second children are about a point ahead of those born third... And: Parents can devote 100 percent of their child-raising resources to the first child until they must…
2 minutes
To make the best impression should you be totally honest or spin facts to make yourself look good?
..confidence is compelling because, barring evidence to the contrary, perceivers assume others have good self-insight. Therefore, to make the best impression, people should be as positive as is plausible to perceivers." Psychology theories disagree on the most effective self-presentation strategies—some claim possessing positive illusions is best, whereas others claim accuracy is best. The current experiments suggest that the role of perceivers and what perceivers believe has been underappreciated in this debate. Participants acted as recruiters for either a swim team…
1 min read
Hot College Professors Make More Money
this paper we examine the impact of a professor’s hotness, as rated by students, on his or her salary, controlling for research and teaching productivity. We also estimate the impacts of a professor’s hotness on the quality of his or her teaching, as evaluated by students, and the impact of hotness on research productivity, as measured by citations, publications, co‐authorship, and grant funding. Our study is based on data describing economics professors at sixteen universities. Although a relatively small…
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