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Inside the Psychologist’s Studio with Jennifer A. Richeson
One of the field’s foremost researchers on the psychological phenomena of cultural diversity reflects on her career and her future research plans.
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Inside the Psychologist’s Studio with Jennifer Richeson
Yale University psychological scientist Jennifer Richeson will deliver the Bring the Family Address May 26 at the 30th APS Annual Convention. In a video interview, Richeson reflects on her remarkable career studying cultural diversity and intergroup interactions.
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A Happy Spouse May Be Good for Your Health
The New York Times: A happy spouse may be good for your health. Previous studies have found that mental well-being — feeling happy and satisfied — is closely linked to good physical health. But a new study, published in Health Psychology, suggests that physical health may also be linked to the happiness of one’s husband or wife. ... The lead author, William J. Chopik, an assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University, said that a happy spouse provided social support and encouraged you to eat a healthful diet and to get exercise, all of which can contribute to good health. Read the whole story: The New York Times
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Abandon Parenting, and Just Be a Parent
The Atlantic: Could a 4-year-old possess better instincts for scientific discovery than a college student? In one experiment, researchers showed preschoolers and undergraduates a variety of blocks, some of which made a machine light up and play music. The children turned out to be more open to the notion that unusual combinations of blocks could turn the machine on, whereas the college students got hung up on the most obvious solution—that the shape of individual blocks affected the machine—ignoring evidence that it was wrong.
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PRACTICE DOESN’T MAKE PERFECT
The New Yorker: Zach Hambrick has always been fascinated by exceptional performance, or what he calls “the extremes of human capabilities.” Growing up, he’d devour Guinness World Records, noting the feats it described and picturing himself proudly posing in its pages. By the time he reached college, though, he’d moved on to a new obsession: becoming a golf pro. “I was very serious about it,” he told me. “I practiced religiously. It was very deliberate practice.” Every day, for hours, he’d be out swinging and putting. He expected to find himself on his way to glory. Except it didn’t quite work out that way.
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A Harvard psychologist explains why forcing positive thinking won’t make you happy
The Washington Post: All people, at times, fill up with grief, spill over with joy, or tremble with anger. Most of us are taught early on to manage these emotions by sharing and reveling in the positive ones, while repressing or apologizing for the negative ones. Either way, we learn not to probe our feelings too deeply. In her new book, “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life,” Harvard Medical School professor and psychologist Susan David explains and then challenges this reflexive ways of handling emotion. David argues that we should instead pay close, yet detached attention to our internal experiences.
