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How to Overcome Polarization on Climate Action
Liberals and conservatives don't agree on much, including when it comes to combating climate change. But there is one surprising behavior where partisans from both ends of the spectrum seem to have more common ground than previously thought: planting trees. Our new research suggests that finding climate actions with bipartisan support is already possible–even in a country as politically polarized as the United States. Planting trees matters; that’s why we measured it. As trees grow, they slow climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing it, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
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Loneliness Bookends Adulthood, Study Shows
Loneliness in adulthood follows a U-shaped pattern: It’s higher in younger and older adulthood, and lowest during middle adulthood, according to new research that examined nine longitudinal studies from around the world.
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APS Editorial Fellows to Help Build a Pipeline of Diverse Editors
Meet the six psychological scientists representing different cultures and nationalities who have been named inaugural APS Editorial Fellows.
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New Research in Psychological Science
A sample of research on oppressed groups engendering implicit positivity, compassion fatigue as a self-fulfilling prophecy, gaze-triggered communicative intention, and much more.
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Want to Remember More? Make More Mistakes
Whether we are trying to master a new language or play a musical instrument, the pain of making mistakes is a big obstacle, especially early in the learning curve. But novices become experts only when we push ourselves to the edge of our abilities, and errors are both inevitable and essential for moving forward. ... Curious about the power of tests as a learning tool, cognitive psychologists Henry “Roddy” Roediger and Jeff Karpicke had hundreds of students memorize excerpts from a test-preparation book for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
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Compassion is making a comeback in America
Think back to the United States as it was a year ago, a decade ago, a generation ago. Is the US a more caring or less caring nation now than it was back then? If you think Americans have lost their compassion, the data would be on your side — until recently. Since the late 1970s, psychologists have measured empathy by asking millions of people how much they agreed with statements such as “I feel tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me.” In 2011, a landmark study led by researcher Sara Konrath examined the trends in those surveys.
