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Does a ‘dark triad’ of personality traits make you more successful?
The dark side of human personality has long fascinated the public and psychologists alike. Research has linked unpleasant traits such as selfishness and a lack of empathy to a higher income and better odds of landing a date. But critics are starting to push back. In a new study, scientists argue such work is often superficial, statistically weak, and presents an overly simplistic view of human nature. Worse, they say it could have harmful implications in the real world by downplaying the damage dark personalities can cause. “The situation is cause for real concern,” says Josh Miller, a clinical psychologist at the University of Georgia in Athens.
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The Right Way to Ask, ‘Can I Pick Your Brain?’
It’s a request that experienced people of any industry have gotten at some point: “Can I buy you coffee and pick your brain?” While well-intentioned, execution is everything, and sometimes these unsolicited requests for a casual, informational interviews can come off as entitled and presumptuous. And for the receiver, it can be difficult or even unrealistic for a busy professional to coordinate bespoke consultation appointments for everyone who asks.
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Why You Want to Eat This Baby Up: It’s Science
One night back in the 1990s, I dreamed that I’d been stabbed in the stomach. When I bolted awake, pain sent me hurtling to the bathroom where I threw up. It felt as if a creature inside my belly was trying to claw its way out. --- They couldn’t understand. And the truth is, I couldn’t either. Why are most people born with the urge that drives them to have children and others, like me, not? I began to wonder if science had an answer. --- Anyone who has been on the internet lately knows that cuteness can get weird: lemurs with Keane-painting eyes, infants dressed as peapods, cats with toast on their heads.
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Trigger Warnings Do Little to Reduce People’s Distress, Research Shows
Trigger warnings that alert people to potentially sensitive content are increasingly popular, but data suggest they may not have the intended effect.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sample of research exploring academic achievement in children with autism; self, memory, and childhood trauma; and goal pursuit in individuals with anxiety.
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Power doesn’t corrupt. It just exposes who leaders really are.
Another day, another leader seems to fall from a seat of power. The #MeToo movement has shown us devastating evidence of how male superiors have abused their power over female subordinates. The Catholic Church has offered demoralizing revelations of how priests have abused their power over nuns and children. When leaders cross the line, we often blame power. As Lord Acton famously expressed it, “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But it’s not entirely true. Last year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, I wanted to understand the impact of power on people.
