-
‘Give’ Gives Way as Word Usage Reflects Shift in Values
Pacific Standard: Remember those studies showing that books in recent decades have increasingly used words and phrases connoting self-absorption? Well, newly published research puts that troubling trend into a more comforting context. An analysis by psychologist Patricia Greenfield of the University of California-Los Angeles finds this trend can be traced back at least 200 years. And rather than suggesting our moral failings, it reflects a changing set of attitudes and priorities as Americans (and Brits) left the farm for the city.
-
Practice at “Guesstimating” Can Speed Up Math Ability
A person's math ability can range from simple arithmetic to calculus and abstract set theory. But there's one math skill we all share: A primitive ability to estimate and compare quantities without counting, like when choosing a checkout line at the grocery store. Practicing this kind of estimating may actually improve our ability to do the kinds of symbolic math we learn in school, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Previous studies have suggested a connection between the approximate number system, involved in estimating, and mathematical ability.
-
Psychological Adaptation to Urbanization, Technology Reflected In Word Usage Over Last Two Centuries
New research shows that as culture has evolved over the last two centuries -- with increasing urbanization, greater reliance on technology, and widespread availability of formal education -- so has human psychology. The findings are forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “This research shows that there has been a two-century long historical shift towards individualistic psychological functioning adapted to an urban environment and away from psychological functioning adapted to a rural environment,” says psychological scientist Patricia Greenfield of the University of California, Los Angeles, author of the new study.
-
Seeing Narcissists Everywhere
The New York Times: From the triumph of Botox to the rise of social networking and soccer teams that give every kid a trophy, Jean M. Twenge is constantly on the lookout for signs of a narcissism crisis in America. ... In 2009 she published another popular book, “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement,” with a frequent collaborator, W. Keith Campbell, a psychologist at the University of Georgia. Today, colleges and corporations often hire her as a speaker or consultant to help them better understand how to recruit and work with millennials. But as her media profile has risen, so has the volume of criticism from her colleagues.
-
Misdemeanors and Crimes: Is There a Slippery Slope?
The Huffington Post: Vito Corleone, the mobster at the center of The Godfather saga, begins his career as a petty criminal. A Sicilian immigrant trying to raise a family in a New York City tenement, he agrees to help out a friend, Peter Clemenza, by stashing some guns. Soon after, he joins Clemenza in burglarizing a fancy apartment, and comes home with a nice rug. One burglary leads to another, and they eventually come to the attention of the local mob boss, Don Fanucci, who wants his cut of their loot. Rather than comply, Corleone follows Fanucci home and murders him in his apartment. It's the first of many murders that he will commit or order in his long life of crime.
-
Sociable lunches may reduce work performance
The Washington Post: Lunch at a restaurant with a friend could lessen the brain’s aptitude for detailed tasks back at work, a new study suggests. If an error-free afternoon is the goal, perhaps workers should consider hastily consuming calories alone at their desks. ... The news is not all bad for those who dine out, Sommer says. Being less rigidly focused might come in handy when navigating sticky social situations or solving problems creatively. Sommer’s lab is testing the effects of social meals on workers’ creativity and generosity. “Being a little less focused could be good or bad, depending on the situation,” says psychologist Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania.
