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Social Identification, Not Obedience, Might Motivate Unspeakable Acts
What makes soldiers abuse prisoners? How could Nazi officials condemn thousands of Jews to gas chamber deaths? What’s going on when underlings help cover up a financial swindle? For years, researchers have tried to identify the factors that drive people to commit cruel and brutal acts and perhaps no one has contributed more to this knowledge than psychological scientist Stanley Milgram. Just over 50 years ago, Milgram embarked on what were to become some of the most famous studies in psychology.
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Persuasion Is Local
The Huffington Post: I do my best to avoid advertising. I don't have cable TV. I listen to public radio. But I can't avoid it completely. I was reminded of that recently when I went to see one of the big summer blockbusters at a local theater. I had to get to the theater early to avoid sitting right up front, but that meant I had to endure 20 minutes of advertising that the theater used to keep me "entertained" while I waited for the start of the show. As I sat in the theater, I looked at the diverse audience. There were young kids there with parents. There were packs of teens. There were grandparents taking grandchildren. There was also a racial and ethnic mix in the crowd.
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Don’t Indulge. Be Happy.
The New York Times: HOW much money do you need to be happy? Think about it. What’s your number? Many of us aren’t satisfied with how much we have now. That’s why we’re constantly angling for a raise at work, befriending aged relatives and springing, despite long odds, for lottery scratch tickets. Is it crazy to question how much money you need to be happy? The notion that money can’t buy happiness has been around a long time — even before yoga came into vogue. But it turns out there is a measurable connection between income and happiness; not surprisingly, people with a comfortable living standard are happier than people living in poverty. Read the whole story: The New York Times
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Self-Reflection is Critical for Wellness
MD Health Guide: As each day passes, the pace of life seems to accelerate – demands on productivity continue ever upward and there is hardly ever a moment when we aren’t, in some way, in touch with our family, friends, or coworkers. While moments for reflection may be hard to come by, a new article suggests that the long-lost art of introspection —even daydreaming — may be an increasingly valuable part of life.
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Parents can play active role in making teens interested in math and science
Asia News International: Experts in research and policy have examined different ways to enhance and promote STEM education - science, technology, engineering and math - among students, but most of these efforts are focused within the four walls of the classroom. A new study goes beyond the classroom to examine the unique role that parents can play in promoting students' STEM motivation. "Our focus for this project was different from our previous work. In classes, we try to promote students' motivation and performance in that class, but with families, our goal is to promote choices about which courses to take," said lead author Judith Harackiewicz, of the University of Wisconsin.
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Tall, dark and stable
The Economist: CLEARLY, a person’s decisions are determined by circumstances. Just how closely they are determined, however, has only recently become apparent. Experiments conducted over the past few years have revealed that giving someone an icy drink at a party leads him to believe he is getting the cold shoulder from fellow guests, that handing over a warm drink gives people a sense of warmth from others, and—most astonishingly—that putting potential voters in chairs which lean slightly to the left causes them to become more agreeable towards policies associated with the left of the political spectrum. The latest of these studies also looks at the effect of furniture.
