Too many choices cause paralysis rather than liberation.
Thanks to Olenka who pointed me to this great talk by Barry Schwartz on why too much choice is bad for us.
Continue reading “Barry Schwartz on Why Too Much Choice is Bad for Us”
Time and time again research on gaining or losing romantic partners, passing or failing exams, winning or losing elections has found they have little effect on our long-term happiness.
Here’s a really fun lecture by psychologist Dan Gilbert of Stumbling on Happiness
fame. He explains why we’re poor at simulating the effect future events will have on us.
Time and time again research on gaining or losing romantic partners, passing or failing exams, winning or losing elections has found they have little effect on our long-term happiness. In fact, Gilbert quotes a recent study finding that almost anything that happened more than three months ago has no effect on our current levels of happiness.
Continue reading “The Impact Bias: Why We Are Poor at Simulating the Impact of Future Events”
The Manipulation of Human Behavior, published in 1961, contains techniques for interrogation and brainwashing.
The Manipulation of Human Behavior, published in 1961, contains techniques for interrogation and brainwashing. The book’s publication was sponsored by the US Air Force who were worried about what psychological techniques prisoners-of-war might face behind enemy lines. It contains chapters on:
…and plenty of other fun subjects.
The book itself actually only contains reviews of the publicly available psychological literature on each of these gruesome techniques. The authors do point out, however, that it is likely that parallel, secret investigations have been carried out by police and intelligence agencies.
Continue reading “Instruction Manual for Psychological Torture Now Online”
In my countdown of the of all time, the clear front runner is former Yale and Harvard social psychologist, Stanley Milgram.
In my countdown of the top ten psychology studies of all time, in which 588 votes have been cast, the clear front runner is former Yale and Harvard social psychologist, Stanley Milgram. His series of experiments on obedience to authority are amongst the best known in psychology. They have such clear implications for our view of human nature that they are impossible to ignore. The very idea that we so readily obey others is at once both a powerful insight and deeply disturbing.
Continue reading “Nominate Your Favourite Social Psychology Studies”
Hollywood actor Owen Wilson’s recent suicide attempt once more raises the question of what leads people to take their own life.
Hollywood actor Owen Wilson’s recent suicide attempt once more raises the question of what leads people to take their own life. Research into suicidal poets provides some clues.
This week it was confirmed that Owen Wilson, the Hollywood actor, attempted suicide. The question ‘why?’ naturally arises in these circumstances. While people’s specific reasons vary greatly, psychologists are, of course, interested in the general factors that lead to suicidal behaviour. Some fascinating evidence about what these general factors are comes from a study on poets, who appear particularly prone to suicide.
Continue reading “Why Attempt Suicide? Evidence from the Poetry of Suicidal Poets”
That’s it, I’ve had enough. I’m fed up with endless bogus stories claiming substantial differences between men and women in the popular press.
…despite appearances:
Continue reading “Men and Women Are Psychologically Very Similar”
The science of magic is always fascinating.
This week (well last week now!) from my psychology notepad…
The science of magic is always fascinating; this New York Times article is no exception. MindHacks has a little background on this.
The excellent BPS Research Digest is running a ‘behind the news‘ series which gives links to the scholarly articles and lead authors on which news items are based. Two entries so far – long may it continue.
Does optimism have a downside in that other people think you’re self-deluded, mindless and just plain annoying?
…although we’re just as likely to provide support to optimists, pessimists and realists alike.
Being an optimist is supposed to be good for health, success and happiness. But does optimism have a downside in that other people think you’re self-deluded, mindless and just plain annoying? And on the flipside, how do people view pessimists? In particular, do we tend to shy away from helping out pessimists when they are in trouble?
Continue reading “Optimists and Realists Seen In Better Light Than Pessimists”
Positive psychology research asks whether experiencing fear is a central component of courage.
Positive psychology research asks whether experiencing fear is a central component of courage.
Imagine you are in this situation:
“I was sitting in a Tube carriage next to an attractive young woman who was reading a magazine. There was a guy sitting opposite me, who was kind of Neanderthal [and starts hassling the woman sat next to me].
Anyway, all the passengers on the Tube were aware of this. The Tube stops. He gets out of the doors – the thug. He walks off down the platform, we’re all quite happy he’s gone. Another passenger flips him a V-sign. The doors have closed, by the way, when he does this. And then the disaster happens – the doors reopen.
The thug runs back in. He’s six foot three, his muscles are so big they’re flexing against the Tube glass, and he just starts beating seven bells out of this fellow. And actually when you see physical violence or are on the receiving end of it, it’s very very nasty.
His fist went into the side of his head, blood came out, another fist, the guy goes down on the carriage floor, and the thug walks off very happy with himself. And I did nothing. The carriage was pretty full. But none of us did anything. It was terrible.”
For decades psychologists were almost exclusively concerned with alleviating mental distress.
For decades psychologists were almost exclusively concerned with alleviating mental distress. No bad thing of course – psychological knowledge has contributed to great strides in the treatment and understanding of mental illness. But to only study pathology, damage and weakness in humanity is to leave out half the picture. What about human strengths, human virtues and human excellence – surely these are worth studying too?
In the last few decades the positive psychology movement has recognised this need for research into what makes us happy, what makes us excel and how these things might be enhanced. Acknowledging this important movement, over the coming weeks PsyBlog will be looking at some of the research emerging from this area. We start with three reasons life is worth living to whet your appetite.
Continue reading “3 Reasons Life is Worth Living From Positive Psychology”
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