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Is cursing really such a big deal any more?
The Globe and Mail: Recently, on the sitcom Modern Family, a subplot concerned little Lily letting loose the mother of swear words to the consternation of one of her dads, and the giggles of the other. The child actress playing the kid said “fudge,” which was bleeped, but this didn’t stop something called the No Cussing Club (not known for its rockin’ parties) from requesting that ABC kill the episode. The Parents Television Council joined in lock step, and a spokesperson complained: “The more we see and hear this kind of language on television, the more acceptable and common it will become in the real world.” Who blames television for anything any more?
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‘Situations Matter: Understanding How Context Transforms Your World,’ by Sam Sommers
The Washington Post: Most of us consider ourselves to be objective, consistent people who make decisions that reflect our core principles, no matter what the situation. In “Situations Matter,” psychology professor Sam Sommers throws this common-sense notion out the window. Our environments are actually much more powerful than we think. Statistics show that people are more likely to marry someone who lives in the same neighborhood than someone from farther away. And the idea that women are more nurturing and less aggressive by nature?
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Online Dating Isn’t the Likely Route to Mr. or Ms. Right: Study
The Wall Street Journal: Does online dating work? Well, it’s a great way to meet people, but not for leading you to the partner of your dreams, according to a comprehensive new review published in this month’s issue of the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The authors, all academic researchers without any financial ties to dating services, combed through the literature on relationships (those begun both on- and offline) and other areas of psychology to take a stab at answering the question. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal See Eli J. Finkel at the 24th APS Annual Convention
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The Upside of Dyslexia
The New York Times: The word “dyslexia” evokes painful struggles with reading, and indeed this learning disability causes much difficulty for the estimated 15 percent of Americans affected by it. Since the phenomenon of “word blindness” was first documented more than a century ago, scientists have searched for the causes of dyslexia, and for therapies to treat it. In recent years, however, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers.
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Study: Income inequality may boost your ego
The Washington Post: A new study finds that countries with more income inequality tend to have more people who believe that they are better than average — a psychological phenomenon known as “self-enhancement.” The study, published in Psychological Science, hypothesizes that societies with high levels of inequality are more likely to encourage competition over scarce rewards, and outsized perceptions of the self is simply an outgrowth of that environment. Income inequality may foster greater self-enhancement through increased competition.
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Is cursing really such a big deal any more?
The Globe and Mail: Recently, on the sitcom Modern Family, a subplot concerned little Lily letting loose the mother of swear words to the consternation of one of her dads, and the giggles of the other. The child actress playing the kid said “fudge,” which was bleeped, but this didn’t stop something called the No Cussing Club (not known for its rockin’ parties) from requesting that ABC kill the episode. The Parents Television Council joined in lock step, and a spokesperson complained: “The more we see and hear this kind of language on television, the more acceptable and common it will become in the real world.” Who blames television for anything any more?
