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Lonely people prefer to stand farther away from those they love
A recent NIA-funded study reports lonely people are more likely to prefer greater interpersonal distances from close friends and family. Over two experiments, close to 600 men and women were surveyed to determine how close they prefer to physically be in relation to others in their intimate, relational, and collective space (and in relation to strangers). Intimate space consisted of those they are closest to (closest family/friends and significant others), relational space included trusted friends and family, and collective space included social groups individuals identified with.
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New Research From Psychological Science
A sample of new research exploring how we think about our interests, language and visual consciousness, and nonverbal behavior in close relationships.
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How Men Get Penalized for Straying from Masculine Norms
When women behave in ways that don’t fit their gender stereotype — for example, by being assertive — they are viewed as less likable and ultimately less hirable. Does that same hold true for men? Are they similarly penalized for straying from the strong masculine stereotype? The short answer is yes. Research demonstrates that men too face backlash when they don’t adhere to masculine gender stereotypes — when they show vulnerability, act nicer, display empathy, express sadness, exhibit modesty, and proclaim to be feminists. This is troubling not least because it discourages men from behaving in ways known to benefit their teams and their own careers.
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‘Indelible in the Hippocampus Is the Laughter.’ The Science Behind Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony
Christine Blasey Ford drew heavily on her psychology background while giving an emotional testimony about her alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, discussing everything from brain chemistry to risk factors for anxiety. --- Experts say that during trauma, the brain does select for salient details. Research indeed shows that norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter released in response to stress or emotional arousal, allows the brain to zero in on certain things and tune out others, says Charan Ranganath, director of the Memory and Plasticity Program at the University of California at Davis.
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Harvard and Cornell researchers find that people like you more than you think
If you're hard on yourself about how you come off in social situations, especially when it comes to making first impressions, you're not alone. But there's good news. A recent study published in the Association for Psychological Science suggests that the people you meet probably like you more than you think. "Our research suggests that accurately estimating how much a new conversation partner likes us — even though this a fundamental part of social life and something we have ample practice with — is a much more difficult task than we imagine," say co-authors Erica Boothby, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, and Gus Cooney, a social psychologist at Harvard University.
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‘Man Up’: How A Fear Of Appearing Feminine Restricts Men, And Affects Us All
What comes to mind when you imagine a "girly" drink? Is it pink and fruity? Does it have lots of whipped cream? A tiny umbrella? If you're a man reading this, you might hesitate to order such a drink. Psychologist Jennifer Bosson studies gender, and once conducted a study with about 200 men and women. She asked them to write about a time when they violated gender norms. Some of the women talked about being called a tomboy. Others mentioned times when they worked in male-dominated fields and were made to feel uncomfortable by coworkers. But men?
