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Understanding the Biological Basis of Behavior
John T. Cacioppo's research looked at the connections between the social and neural mechanisms underlying human behavior. He investigated how societal influences and personal relationships affect cognition and emotions. As a social species, humans have created a network of connections- ranging from families to international alliances- that serve both social and biological needs. Cacioppo's research was focused on understanding the neural, hormonal and genetic mechanisms that motivate humans to interact and their effects on the mind, behavior, and health – an approach known as social neuroscience. He also examined the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness on our well-being.
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Social Acceptance and Rejection: The Sweet and the Bitter
Psychology researchers have long been interested in close relationships, but have only more recently begun investigating social exclusion.
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Study: The Rich Really Are More Selfish
TIME: “Lower-class” individuals—i.e., folks without much money or education—demonstrate more compassion and empathy than their wealthy counterparts, according to a series of psychological studies. In social scientist speak, “self-oriented behavior” is more likely to be exhibited by people with good educations, prestigious jobs, high incomes, and overall higher-ranking social status. How you rank in society purportedly has a lot to do with how much you care about your fellow man.
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Spoiler alert: Spoilers don’t ruin stories, after all
Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's dad. Rosebud is a sled. Soylent Green is PEOPLE. Kristin shot J.R. Maggie shot Mr. Burns. And Bruce Willis, a.k.a. child therapist Malcome Crowe? You guys, he was dead the whole time. We hate for the twist endings of movies, TV shows and books to be given away. But here's a bit of relief for those of you who are just now learning that Snape, in fact, killed Dumbledore: Spoilers don't really ruin stories for us. In fact, a new study suggests that we actually enjoy spoiled stories more than those left unspoiled. "Writers use their artistry to make stories interesting, to engage readers, and tosurprise them.
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Narcissists’ Self-Interest Makes Them Bad Leaders
LiveScience: Narcissists may think they'd make for good bosses, but a new study shows that their preoccupation with themselves hinders their performance in teamwork situations. Although narcissists have leadership-related qualities, such as confidence, authority and high self-esteem, their self-centeredness ultimately prevents them from partaking in the creative exchange of information and ideas, which is crucial in group decision-making situations, the researchers at the University of Amsterdam said. The team divided 150 participants into groups of three, with one person in each group randomly assigned to be the group's leader. The groups then had to choose a job candidate.
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Spoiler Alert: Stories Not Ruined if Ending Revealed
ABC News: Spoiler alert: This story has a happy ending. If it were a suspense novel, would knowing that make you enjoy it less? To their surprise, psychology researchers found that people rated stories higher if they knew how they came out. Whoa -- can ruining the surprise make a story more enjoyable? That's what Nicholas Christenfeld and Jonathan Leavitt found, and Christenfeld says he was at first stumped. Leavitt is getting his doctorate in psychology at the University of California at San Diego, and Christenfeld is a professor there. Read the whole story: ABC News
