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Charitable acts may backfire, researchers report
Medhill: If someone volunteers at a charity hoping to reel in a love interest, is that act still viewed as altruistic? Not likely, according to a study published in the January edition of Psychological Science.
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Stop Trusting Yourself
The New York Times: TRUST is a double-edged sword. Though you can accomplish more in life if you put your faith in others, doing so also leaves you vulnerable. If your friend, business partner or
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Why Me? Perceptions of Justice Influence Pain Experiences
Life has its many twists and turns – to make sense of all of it, people sometimes take a “just world” approach, reasoning that people get more or less what they deserve. But there are
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Chris Christie and the Science of the Group Mind
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie finds himself in a position similar to many government and corporate leaders — apologizing for the misdeeds of his deputies, while at the same time claiming to have been misled
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How Thoughts of Money Lead Us Astray
The Wall Street Journal: The New Year makes many of us think about time passing, and research shows that such thoughts often spur us to act more ethically. If we were to brood instead about
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When Charitable Acts Are ‘Tainted’ by Personal Gain
We tend to perceive a person’s charitable efforts as less moral if the do-gooder reaps a reward from the effort, according to new research. This phenomenon — which researchers call the “tainted-altruism effect” — suggests