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The Rise of Hate Search
The New York Times: HOURS after the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2, and minutes after the media first reported that at least one of the shooters had a Muslim-sounding name, a disturbing number of Californians had decided what they wanted to do with Muslims: kill them. ... In November, there were about 3,600 searches in the United States for “I hate Muslims” and about 2,400 for “kill Muslims.” We suspect these Islamophobic searches represent a similarly tiny fraction of those who had the same thoughts but didn’t drop them into Google.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Clinical Psychological Science: The Effects of Attachment Priming on Depressed and Anxious Mood Katherine B. Carnelley, Lorna J. Otway, and Angela C. Rowe Attachment theory suggests that people internalize the quality of early interactions with their primary caregivers, forming an attachment orientation that influences their perception of social interactions throughout their lives. Attachment insecurity has been associated with depression and anxiety; however, the evidence for this link is correlational.
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Can DUI Checkpoints Change Perceptions of the Police?
New Year’s Eve is near, and police will be especially vigilant about pulling over drivers they suspect of being drunk. While traffic stops pop up more frequently around holidays, they actually represent the most common interaction that people have with police and highway patrol officers on any given day of the year. The US Department of Justice reports that in 2011, 86% of people’s most recent contact with the police was during a traffic stop. And a disproportionate number of those pulled over and searched were black, contributing to the public perception of racial bias within law enforcement.
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The Creativity Bias against Women
Scientific American: More than ever, creativity has become a hot commodity in the workplace. Businesses compete ferociously for new ideas, and Silicon Valley — with its extreme focus on innovation — is the current bright spot of the US economy. Companies need employees who can tackle difficult problems, learn new skills fast, and identify opportunities in unexpected places. Top employers are increasingly looking to hire individuals who excel at creative thinking. But whether you are seen as creative or not may depend on whether you’re a man or a woman.
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Superforecasters
BBC Radio 4: Professor Philip Tetlock explains why his newly discovered elite group of so-called Superforecasters are so good at predicting global events. Read the whole story: BBC Radio 4
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The One New Year’s Resolution That Usually Works
TIME: Realistic financial resolutions are relatively easy to achieve. We all know the drill by now: Make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or reduce spending or finally finish that novel. Fail in miserable fashion. Feel bad about yourself and scarf down a tub of double-chocolate ice cream. ... “If it’s a few seconds to New Year’s and you’re just throwing something up in the wind, then it’s not going to work,” said Dr. John Norcross, a psychology professor at the University of Scranton who has conducted multiple studies on the subject. “It requires preparation. You have to be serious about the endeavor.” Read the whole story: TIME
