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Feeding the Green-Eyed Monster: What Happens When Envy Turns Ugly
Envy: it's an unflattering, miserable emotion. And it's universal. All of us, at some time or another, will experience that feeling of wanting what someone else has, and resenting them for having it. Of course, like all human emotions, envy has a purpose. It's a tool for social comparison, one that can alert us to imbalances in the social hierarchy. Sometimes, these feelings of envy can prompt us to improve our lives, says Harvard social psychologist Mina Cikara. "If you have more than what I have, I may be inspired by what you have," she says.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sampling of research on media exposure and collective trauma, perfectionism during the transition to university, and the effects of mindfulness tasks on women’s sexual response.
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In The Heat Of The Moment: How Intense Emotions Transform Us
For years, George Loewenstein's exercise routine involved running up a steep hill. As he made it to the top of the peak, all he could think about was the pain. But once he reached the top, it was as if he was struck with amnesia. That pain, he says, "was all forgotten within maybe 10, 20 seconds." A few days later, George would lace up his sneakers and scale the hill again, and his mind followed the same pattern. George realized that each of his emotional states were little worlds unto themselves — the runner in pain had little understanding of the carefree person going downhill, and vice versa.
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The More We See Fake News, The Less Fake It Becomes
There are many reasons why people share articles online. Sometimes it is to demonstrate an expertise or interest in a certain area. Sometimes it’s an attempt to change people’s minds. Other times, it is simply to share with the world something that brought them a moment of joy or inspiration. But what about fake news? What empowers people to feel ethically licensed to share information they know to be blatantly untrue? A new study forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science examined people’s motivations for sharing fake news articles.
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Kids with ‘helicopter parents’ more likely to burn out, have a harder time transitioning to ‘real world’
In many ways, the college admissions scandal, aka “Operation Varsity Blues,” was a cautionary tale about what can happen when parents get too involved in their children’s school careers. Although most parents don’t break the law or pay millions of dollars to get their kids into prestigious schools, “helicopter parenting” is far more common, and it can have lasting psychological effects. A new study from Florida State University found that kids who had helicopter parents were more likely to experience burnout from schoolwork, and they had a harder time transitioning from school to the real world.
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The Science Of Scary: Why It’s So Fun To Be Freaked Out
Haunted houses. Skydiving. Scary movies. Why do these horrifying things make some people delighted, and others, well, horrified? For answers, NPR's Maddie Sofia, host of the daily science podcast Short Wave, spoke with the guy who wrote the book on what makes those folks tick. Ken Carter teaches psychology at Oxford College of Emory University and is the author of Buzz! Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils and Adrenaline Junkies. In the book, Carter — a self-proclaimed lover of calm — gets into the minds of a "subset of people who crave stimulation and thrive in environments that would seem overstimulating, even chaotic, to the rest of us."
