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The Bully in the Baby?
While only a minority of toddlers are habitual bullies, this aggressive tendency appears to emerge right along with the motor skills that make it possible.
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Love, money and suspicion
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1941 film Suspicion is a masterful psychological study of love and money. Cary Grant plays the charming but irresponsible Johnnie Aysgarth, who dazzles the frumpy Lina McLaidlaw, played by Joan Fontaine. Only after their elopement does Lina begin piecing together the truth about her husband: He is broke, a habitual gambler, a liar, an embezzler—and possibly a killer. Indeed, everywhere Lina looks she sees signs that Johnnie is plotting her murder to secure his fortune. What makes this thriller so powerful is that it plays off two of our most potent human impulses.
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The rewards of ‘nearby nature’
I live in one of the liveliest neighborhoods of a large city. I’ve lived in this city for almost all of my adult life, and I love all the urban sights and noises, right down to the sirens. But I also know the many patches of nature hidden away in my city. On those occasions when I need solitude and quiet and respite from the hectic metropolitan pace, I am minutes from streams and woodland. My rural friends don’t think of these urban enclaves as real nature, but I disagree. I feel restored when I get out among the oaks and sassafras and yarrow and I hear the warblers singing. And new research backs me up on this.
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The Four Loko Effect?
In the fall of 2010, 17 students at New Jersey’s Ramapo College, along with six of their friends, were hospitalized for severe alcohol intoxication after a night of partying. Soon after, a similar event occurred at Central Washington State College, where nine students became ill and required hospitalization. One student reportedly had a blood alcohol level of .3 percent, dangerously high. The culprit in both these cases was identified as Four Loko, a caffeinated, fruit-flavored malt beverage that had been on the market since 2005. Ramapo immediately banned the drink from campus, as did the state of Washington.
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Judgment, Justice and Evil in Norway
Brown University psychological scientist Fiery Cushman is a pioneer in the study of moral psychology—how humans think and feel and form judgments about issues of right and wrong, including justice and punishment. In the wake of Norway’s tragedy last month, I asked Cushman to reflect not only on Anders Brievik’s actions but also on society’s reaction—in particular Norwegian society’s reaction--to such murderous acts. Here are the open-ended questions that I asked Cushman: What does your work on morality, justice and punishment have to say about the recent massacre in Norway? How can Norwegian society mete out justice that will be morally satisfying to citizens there?
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‘Executive’ training for problem drinkers?
Hangover, the low-budget comedy hit of 2009, tells the story of Phil, Stu and Alan, twenty-something buddies who wake up in a Las Vegas hotel room the morning after a booze-drenched bachelor party for their friend Doug. None of them remembers a single detail from the night of partying, and a lot needs explaining. There’s the tiger in the bathroom just for starters, and then Stu’s missing tooth. There’s also an unfamiliar infant in the closet, and Phil is wearing a hospital wristband. What’s more, Doug has gone missing—and his wedding is the following day.
