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Among U.S. presidents, LBJ tops charts in ‘grandiose narcissism’ study
Houston Chronicle: In a recent study of U.S. presidents' personality traits, Lyndon Johnson ranked highest in grandiose narcissism. While it frequently gets a bad rap, grandiose narcissism may predict both positive and negative leadership behaviors, according to a group of researchers who published a paper in October in Psychological Science. Grandiose narcissism, which is characterized by an extroverted, flamboyant style, is distinct from vulnerable narcissism, which is more associated with emotional sensitivity and vulnerability. The paper, titled "The Double-Edged Sword of Grandiose Narcissism: Implications for Successful and Unsuccessful Leadership Among U.S.
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Visual System ‘Prioritizes’ Information for Conscious Access
We are continuously flooded with sensory information from our physical environment – the sights, sounds, smells, feel of everything around us. We’re flooded with so much information, in fact, that we’re not consciously aware of much of it. “Considering that people are continuously presented with vast amounts of sensory information, a system is needed to select and prioritize the most relevant information,” Surya Gayet and colleagues write. The researchers surmised that, in the case of vision, visual working memory (VWM) may be that selection system.
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You’re So Self-Controlling
The New York Times: WHAT do you do if, when you get to a subway platform, you see that it is already packed with people? Do you join the throngs to wait for the train, or do you shake your head and seek an alternative way to get where you’re going? If you go the first route, you probably think that the crowd means there must not have been a train for some time and that one is imminent. If you choose the second, you’ve come to the opposite conclusion: It’s crowded, a train hasn’t come in a while, so it’s likely there’s some sort of problem — and who knows how long you’ll end up waiting. Better cut your losses and split.
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Dan Ariely On Why We’re All A Little Dishonest – And What To Do About It
Forbes: In a fast-moving, complex society, you simply can’t master every task. But when you pay people for advice – whether they’re your doctor, your mechanic, or your financial adviser – you need to be able to trust what they’re saying. “As we become more interdependent and more specialized,” says Dan Ariely, author of The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, “trust becomes more valuable.” ... “The good news is most people are not psychopaths,” says Ariely, a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (where I also teach).
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When Smiles in Childhood Photos Lead to Future Happiness
The Wall Street Journal: "Smile!" It's the word that millions of children hear just before a bright flash freezes their features for posterity in the American school ritual of Picture Day. I was recently reminded of this when my 7-year-old son donned his colorful collared shirt and combed his hair in the mirror in preparation for the event. I couldn't help saying, "Now be sure to smile!" Who doesn't remember being encouraged, begged or admonished to do the same? My son's eagerness prompted me to crack open my own yearbooks, stored deep beneath the blankets in the hallway closet.
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The Case Against Brain Scans As Evidence In Court
NPR: It's not just people who go on trial these days. It's their brains. More and more lawyers are arguing that some defendants deserve special consideration because they have brains that are immature or impaired, says Nina Farahany, a professor of law and philosophy at Duke University who has been studying the use of brain science in court. About 5 percent of murder trials now involve some neuroscience, Farahany says. "There's a steady increase of defendants seeking to introduce neuroscience to try to reduce the extent to which they're responsible or the extent to which they're punished for a crime," she says.
