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The Power of One: The Psychology of Charity
The Huffington Post: Mother Teresa famously said: "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." There are worse people to turn to for lessons in human charity, and here Calcutta's celebrated missionary also showed an astute grasp of cognitive psychology -- and its paradoxes. Our compassion and generosity should grow as the number of poor and suffering multiplies, but the opposite seems to occur. Some numbers are just too big and abstract to grasp, so they lose their power. ... The results were clear, and much like the earlier findings.
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Neuroeconomics: How Brain Science Matters to Business
Forbes: At first glance, a neuroscientist and a business school might seem an odd fit. But in fact economists have been paying increasing attention to how the brain works. Christine Looser discusses her research on how the brain detects aliveness — and the possible implications for organizations and advertisers — in this article by Carmen Nobel, which first appeared on the HBS Working Knowledge website. Humans are often delighted by objects with vaguely humanoid characteristics—think Pet Rocks, toy robots, or sock puppets. But there is a point at which an object looks almost human, yet not quite human enough, and the result is disturbing. It’s called the uncanny valley.
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The psychology of why cyclists enrage car drivers
BBC: Something about cyclists seems to provoke fury in other road users. If you doubt this, try a search for the word "cyclist" on Twitter. As I write this one of the latest tweets is this: "Had enough of cyclists today! Just wanna ram them with my car." This kind of sentiment would get people locked up if directed against an ethnic minority or religion, but it seems to be fair game, in many people's minds, when directed against cyclists. Why all the rage? ... Humans seem to have evolved one way of enforcing order onto potentially chaotic social arrangements. This is known as "altruistic punishment", a term used by Ernst Fehr and Simon Gachter in a landmark paper published in 2002.
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Shooting in the Dark
The New York Times: The young men who opened fire at Columbine High School, at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., and in other massacres had this in common: they were video gamers who seemed to be acting out some dark digital fantasy. It was as if all that exposure to computerized violence gave them the idea to go on a rampage — or at least fueled their urges. ... Many similar studies have found the same thing: A dose of violent gaming makes people act a little more rudely than they would otherwise, at least for a few minutes after playing. It is far harder to determine whether cumulative exposure leads to real-world hostility over the long term.
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10 Fresh Looks at Love
Smithsonian: It should probably tell us something that the most frequently asked question on Google last year was “What is love?” Clearly, most of us are clueless on the matter; otherwise we wouldn’t be turning to algorithms for an explanation. Which explains why scientific research on love continues unabated. We want answers. So, on the eve of Valentine’s Day, here are 10 recent studies or surveys trying to make sense of matters of the heart. According to a study soon to be published in the journal Psychological Science, people like to believe that their way of life–whether they’re single or in a couple–is the best choice for everyone. Read the whole story: Smithsonian
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Online dating sites: Can crunching data help you find love?
CBS: People are turning to online dating to find their next partner, but how realistic is finding love by crunching data? Eli Finkel, of Northwestern University, speaks to the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts about the online dating trend. Watch here: CBS See Eli J. Finkel at the 25th APS Annual Convention.
