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You May Be Discriminating Against Your Coworkers And You Don’t Even Know It
Business Insider: People with easier-to-pronounce names have a better chance of being favored and even getting promotions than those with names that don't flow as well (via BusinessWire). According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, names that were easier to pronounce were viewed more positively and even helped in voting ballots compared to names that were more difficult to say aloud.
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Online dating services don’t work, scientists say
CBS News: Scientists want you to think twice before doubling down on online dating services. A new study published in the upcoming issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest is shedding light on the science - or lack thereof - behind online dating services. The psychological scientists who wrote the report hope to indentify how online dating might be hurting singles. Co-written by Eli J. Finkel (Northwestern University), Paul W. Eastwick (Texas A & M University), Benjamin R. Karney (UCLA), Harry T. Reis (University of Rochester), and Susan Sprecher (Illinois State University), the report reviews over 400 psychology studies and surveys. Read the full story: CBS News See Eli J.
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Distraction reduces pain, study finds
msnbc.com: When you distract yourself from pain, you actually hurt less, a new study suggests. Study participants who were subjected to slight pain on their forearms reported less discomfort when they were asked to perform a distracting mental test as the pain was delivered. Moreover, when participants were given a placebo "pain relief" cream, and distracted at the same time, their pain was even more reduced. "Both placebo and distraction are effective mechanisms for reducing pain. You can combine them and you don't lose anything," said study researcher Jason Buhle, who conducted the research as part of his doctoral dissertation from Columbia University. Read the full story: msnbc.com
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What You Need to Succeed—and How to Find Out If You Have It
Scientific American: Whether you succeed at work may depend on many factors—intelligence, empathy, self-control, talent and persistence, to name a few. But one determinant may outweigh many of these: how you perceive those around you. New research suggests that your own ability to get things done—not to mention your success in non-work relationships—is highly correlated with how you see others. Are your coworkers capable and kind, or are they, dare I say, incompetent jerks?
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Facebook Might Be Tough on Users With Low Self-Esteem
U.S. News & World Report: Using Facebook can be bad for people with low self-esteem, a new study suggests. Canadian researchers found people with low self-esteem deluge their Facebook friends with negative details about their lives, which makes them less likeable. The findings, published online Feb. 7 in the journal Psychological Science, were unexpected, according to the researchers. Many people with low self-esteem are uncomfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings face-to-face, but Facebook enables them to do this remotely, explained study author Amanda Forest, a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. Read the full story: U.S. News & World Report
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What Kind of Chocolate is Best? The Last You Taste, Says a New Study
Like to save the best for last? Here’s good news: If it’s the last, you’ll like it the best. That is the finding of a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the
