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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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Childhood Family Environment Linked With Relationship Quality 60 Years Later
Longitudinal data suggest growing up in a warm family environment in childhood is associated with feeling more secure in romantic relationships in one’s 80s.
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NSF Seeks Grant Proposals for Research Program
The National Science Foundation is seeking grant proposals for its Smart & Connected Communities program. Applicants for funding are expected to pursue research activities studying how inhabitants of communities are increasingly connected by smart technologies. Proposals must meaningfully integrate across both behavioral science and technological research dimensions. Preliminary proposals are due November 30, 2016. For more information, see the program solicitation here.
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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.
