-
Which Makes You Happier: Money or Respect?
Shape Magazine: They say money can't buy happiness, and "they" would be right. According to a new study, a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T goes a lot further than a paycheck when it comes to being happy for the long haul. Published recently in the journal Psychological Science, researchers did a total of four studies examining the reasons why higher socioeconomic status such as higher income, wealth or education does not boost subjective wellbeing. The first smaller study surveyed college students' sociometric status (how much they were respected and admired by those around you) and socioeconomic status, and predicted students' social well-being scores.
-
Not Obedience But Followership
It is commonly thought that participants in Milgram's shock experiments obeyed the researcher because of people's natural tendency to conform to those in authority. In this article, Reicher, Haslam, and Smith review findings from the original Milgram study that suggest a different conclusion: Participants obeyed because they identified with the experimenter. The authors describe their own study of the Milgram experiments and detail evidence supporting their suggestion. Perspectives on Psychological Science Working Toward the Experimenter: Reconceptualizing Obedience Within the Milgram Paradigm as Identification-Based Followership Stephen D. Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam, and Joanne R.
-
Employees’ Interests Predict How They Will Perform on the Job
When evaluating job applicants, employers want to be sure that they choose the right person for the job. Many employers, from consulting firms to federal agencies, will ask prospective employees to complete extensive tests and questionnaires to get a better sense of what those employees might be like in an office setting. But new research published in the July 2012 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that a different factor – employee interests – may be a better way to predict who will perform well on the job.
-
Memories of a Child Refugee
For many, Sharbat Gula was the face of refugee children everywhere, although her identity was unknown for almost two decades. Captured by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry in 1984, in a refugee camp in Pakistan, the penetrating eyes of the 12-year-old “Afghan girl” grabbed the world’s imagination—and became a symbol of the plight of war-damaged children. Not until 2002 was she finally located and identified, by that time repatriated and living with children of her own, in a country again at war. Sharbat Gula is one of millions of Afghan children who have fled Afghanistan’s seemingly endless war, seeking safety in foreign places.
-
Do We Care About Future Generations?
Scientific American: We care about our children and the world they’ll inherit. And we care about their children. But when it comes to the generations we won’t be around to know, the ties tend to be less strong—at least when it comes to dealing with how our current behavior might impact future generations. But researchers have found that reminders of our own mortality may motivate us to make inter-generational trade-offs that benefit future communities. Volunteers were asked to read an article about a fatal airline accident. Then they had to play the role of the head of a company that discovered a new source of cheap, efficient energy.
-
In groups, alcohol a social lubricant
United Press International: Moderate amounts of alcohol -- consumed in a social setting -- can serve as a social lubricate, U.S. researchers suggest. Lead author Michael A. Sayette, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, said it is usually taken for granted that people drink to reduce stress and enhance positive feelings, but many studies have shown that alcohol consumption has an opposite effect. Previous studies tested the impact of alcohol on those who drink alone rather than in groups. "Those studies may have failed to create realistic conditions for studying this highly social drug," Sayette said in a statement.
