229 posts · 115,172 views
The goal of this blog is to better understand why people think, feel, and behave the way they do. What's unique, in some ways, about this blog is that we'll be generating theories about people's behavior from cutting-edge psychological science!
Psych Your Mind
229 posts
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- May 10, 2013
- 08:39 PM
- 69 views
Searching for happiness: What makes life meaningful?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Recently I’ve been contemplating giving up on the modern
world and moving to a cabin in the woods. I mean – what is with all of this
technology, the 50+ hour work week, and guilt over the simple pleasures like
spending time with friends and family on the weekends? Maybe I would be able to
feel happier and more fulfilled if I turned my back on the world of today and instead
started living a simple life. After all, despite the fact that technology has
made our lives easier over the past cent........ Read more »
Wilson, Timothy D., & Gilbert, Daniel T. (2003) Affective Forecasting. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 345-411. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2601(03)01006-2
- May 7, 2013
- 01:44 PM
- 50 views
Group gender composition: Does it matter?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
When I was younger, I can remember being split into teams in
gym class and different tables in art class and having one question: how many
girls and how many boys are in my group? Depending on the activity, it seemed important
to know this so you could assess your chances for success. More boys on your
team, and you might be more likely to win dodgeball. More girls at your art
table, and you might paint a better mural.
An adult might have told me that was silly - how many boys
vs. girls........ Read more »
West, T., Heilman, M., Gullett, L., Moss-Racusin, C., & Magee, J. (2012) Building blocks of bias: Gender composition predicts male and female group members’ evaluations of each other and the group. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(5), 1209-1212. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.04.012
- April 20, 2013
- 02:11 PM
- 81 views
SWAG: Racial Bias in Pain Perception
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Tom Brady is no stranger to pain (source)
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
This week in SWAG we read an article about racial biases
in perceptions of others’ pain. The American medical field has a long his........ Read more »
Trawalter S, Hoffman KM, & Waytz A. (2012) Racial bias in perceptions of others' pain. PloS one, 7(11). PMID: 23155390
- April 18, 2013
- 01:02 PM
- 51 views
The Daddy Chronicles: What Happened To My Testosterone?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Zoë at two weeks
I'm not sure how many of you know this, but on March 19th of this year I became a new daddy. It's hard to describe the meaning of this event and its impact on my life, but here is a useful comparison that might put things into perspective: My dissertation was accepted for publication on the same day that my daughter was born and despite the near month passing, I still haven't filed the publication forms for the paper. Fatherhood changes the way I see the world in........ Read more »
Gettler LT, McDade TW, Feranil AB, & Kuzawa CW. (2011) Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(39), 16194-9. PMID: 21911391
- March 31, 2013
- 10:37 PM
- 49 views
SWAG: Video Games and Violence
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
wikipedia.org
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG). This week, SWAG was led by Jesse Preston, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois. Her summary of the SWAG discussion follows below:
Can p........ Read more »
Ferguson, C. (2013) Violent video games and the Supreme Court: Lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. American Psychologist, 68(2), 57-74. DOI: 10.1037/a0030597
- March 25, 2013
- 03:22 PM
- 144 views
5 Ways Gratitude Can Backfire
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Gratitude is good. Good for your health and well-being. Good for your relationships. But is gratitude always
good? No. Although a focus on appreciating what you have instead of lamenting what you have-not is generally good advice, gratitude is not a panacea. Here are a few ways in which gratitude may be the wrong prescription:
1. Overdosing on gratitude. When it
comes to keeping track of your gratitude, the adage “more is better” doesn’t
necessarily apply. If you set too high of a g........ Read more »
Sheldon, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), 73-82. DOI: 10.1080/17439760500510676
McNulty JK, & Russell VM. (2010) When "negative" behaviors are positive: a contextual analysis of the long-term effects of problem-solving behaviors on changes in relationship satisfaction. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(4), 587-604. PMID: 20307131
Watkins, P., Scheer, J., Ovnicek, M., & Kolts, R. (2006) The debt of gratitude: Dissociating gratitude and indebtedness. Cognition , 20(2), 217-241. DOI: 10.1080/02699930500172291
- March 20, 2013
- 08:30 PM
- 124 views
How to End a Bad Relationship for Good
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Sometimes we find ourselves in relationships that make us miserable more than they make us happy, relationships that we know in our hearts are not right, yet still have a hold on us. If this sounds like you, or someone you care about, here are some research-based strategies you may not have considered before for ending it for good and getting on with your life.
Read More-... Read more »
Aron, A. (2005) Reward, Motivation, and Emotion Systems Associated With Early-Stage Intense Romantic Love. Journal of Neurophysiology, 94(1), 327-337. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00838.2004
Schweiger Gallo I, & Gollwitzer PM. (2007) Implementation intentions: a look back at fifteen years of progress. Psicothema, 19(1), 37-42. PMID: 17295981
- March 8, 2013
- 10:46 AM
- 119 views
SWAG: The American Choice Fixation
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Yes. I Exist! (source)
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
Right before our SWAG meeting this week, I attended a laboratory meeting of a colleague here at the University of Illinois. One of the graduate students ........ Read more »
Savani K, Markus HR, Naidu NV, Kumar S, & Berlia N. (2010) What counts as a choice? U.S. Americans are more likely than Indians to construe actions as choices. Psychological science, 21(3), 391-8. PMID: 20424076
- February 27, 2013
- 06:22 PM
- 158 views
SWAG: Do the ends justify the means?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
source
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
Are you familiar with Watchmen? The popular graphic novel turned semi-popular summer blockbuster describes a deeply dystopian future in which Richard Nixon has been decl........ Read more »
Conway P, & Gawronski B. (2013) Deontological and utilitarian inclinations in moral decision making: A process dissociation approach. Journal of personality and social psychology, 104(2), 216-35. PMID: 23276267
- February 22, 2013
- 12:22 AM
- 207 views
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too! Practical Reform in Social Psychology
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
The cake we can (1) have, and (2) eat!
If you have been following recent headlines in the social sciences then you are aware that the field of social psychology has been in some rough water over the past three years. In this time period, we've had our flagship journal publish a series of studies providing evidence that ESP exists (and then refuse to publish non-replications of these studies). We've suffered through at least three instances of scientific fraud perpetrated by high pro........ Read more »
Richard, F., Bond, C., & Stokes-Zoota, J. (2003) One Hundred Years of Social Psychology Quantitatively Described. Review of General Psychology, 7(4), 331-363. DOI: 10.1037/1089-2680.7.4.331
- February 20, 2013
- 09:47 PM
- 89 views
SWAG: Thoughts as Physical Objects
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Ideas as Objects (Source)
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
We typically think of thoughts as mental constructs without physical properties. And yet, it is remarkably common to use physical metaphors when deali........ Read more »
Briñol P, Gascó M, Petty RE, & Horcajo J. (2013) Treating thoughts as material objects can increase or decrease their impact on evaluation. Psychological science, 24(1), 41-7. PMID: 23184587
- February 15, 2013
- 12:30 AM
- 182 views
Do it for Future You
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
It's only a month and a half into the New Year, and most of us have already abandoned our New Year's resolutions. We had the best of intentions, but our
intentions only got us so far, and eventually we fell back into our old habits--eating and drinking too much, exercising and sleeping too little. Why are we so bad at this?... Read more »
Hershfield, H. (2011) Future self-continuity: how conceptions of the future self transform intertemporal choice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1235(1), 30-43. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06201.x
- February 13, 2013
- 11:39 AM
- 186 views
4 Ways to Boost Gratitude on Valentine's Day
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Today's post is the second in a two-part series on Gratitude. Yesterday I discussed research I've done on how gratitude helps us hold onto our relationships. Today I give you a few science-based tips for how to boost gratitude on Valentine's Day.
Whether February 14th is your first Valentine’s
Day together or your 35th, it is a great excuse to show gratitude
for the one you love. This Valentine’s Day, try these science-based tips to
make sure you get the most out of your act........ Read more »
Flynn, F., & Adams, G. (2009) Money can’t buy love: Asymmetric beliefs about gift price and feelings of appreciation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2), 404-409. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2008.11.003
- February 12, 2013
- 12:08 AM
- 184 views
To Have and To Thank: Gratitude Helps us Hold onto our Relationships
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
In honor of St. Valentine, today's post is the first in a two-part series on why gratitude may be a key ingredient in successful relationships. Today I talk about some of my own research on gratitude. Then on Wednesday I'll be back with a few tips for how to make sure you and your partner get the most out of your gratitude on Valentine's Day.
I had one
goal when I started graduate school five years ago – to understand why some romantic
relationships thrive while others fail. I........ Read more »
Gordon AM, Impett EA, Kogan A, Oveis C, & Keltner D. (2012) To have and to hold: gratitude promotes relationship maintenance in intimate bonds. Journal of personality and social psychology, 103(2), 257-74. PMID: 22642482
- February 8, 2013
- 12:28 PM
- 225 views
SWAG: Self-Affirmation and Goal Pursuit
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
wikipedia.org
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
This week we read a recent collection of studies written by Kathleen Vohs and her colleagues (2013) about goal disengagement and self-affirmation. Usually self-af........ Read more »
Vohs KD, Park JK, & Schmeichel BJ. (2013) Self-affirmation can enable goal disengagement. Journal of personality and social psychology, 104(1), 14-27. PMID: 23106251
- January 31, 2013
- 12:19 AM
- 131 views
SWAG: The World is ending and that's unfair!
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
www.earthtimes.org
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar, affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
Ever watch a video like this one? I imagine that for different people it activates very different emotions. For some, this sort of video might galvanize pe........ Read more »
Feinberg, M., & Willer, R. (2010) Apocalypse Soon?: Dire Messages Reduce Belief in Global Warming by Contradicting Just-World Beliefs. Psychological Science, 22(1), 34-38. DOI: 10.1177/0956797610391911
- January 25, 2013
- 03:14 PM
- 92 views
New Year’s Resolutions: Are You Suffering From Decision and Willpower Fatigue?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Today's guest post comes from Sarah Roberts, Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal and blogger at Psychobabble for Normal People.
Why is it that at the beginning of January, we’re able to
keep our New Year’s Resolutions—hitting the gym regularly, drinking less
alcohol, wasting fewer hours on Facebook, following a budget or a diet—but our
willpower wears off as the month wears on? Similarly, how come at 9am, 10am,
and........ Read more »
Danziger, S., Levav, J., & Avnaim-Pesso, L. (2011) Extraneous factors in judicial decisions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(17), 6889-6892. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1018033108
- January 23, 2013
- 10:13 PM
- 126 views
SWAG: The Aversion to Harm Others
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the University of Illinois to discuss a journal article about social psychology, and to eat a snack. This blog post reflects the discussion we had during this week's seminar affectionately called Social Wednesdays and Grub (SWAG).
This week in SWAG we read a paper on committing harmful actions by Fiery Cushman and colleagues (2012), who may have the most fantastic name in all of the academic world. Cushman ........ Read more »
Cushman F, Gray K, Gaffey A, & Mendes WB. (2012) Simulating murder: the aversion to harmful action. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 12(1), 2-7. PMID: 21910540
- January 16, 2013
- 10:05 AM
- 146 views
Sour in the Sun? 3 Unexpected Ways the Weather May Affect Your Mood
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
Last weekend I returned from the tropics to find myself outside
the San Francisco airport basically barefoot in sub-40 degree weather. As I stood there shivering in disbelief, the shock to my system made me wonder about the effect of the weather on my mood and well-being. Like Kate, I often find myself a little more blue as winter progresses and the sun sets early in the day. But in what other ways might the
weather be affecting how we feel from one day to the next? Some of what I found
sur........ Read more »
Huibers, M., de Graaf, L., Peeters, F., & Arntz, A. (2010) Does the weather make us sad? Meteorological determinants of mood and depression in the general population. Psychiatry Research, 180(2-3), 143-146. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2009.09.016
Keller, M., Fredrickson, B., Ybarra, O., Cote, S., Johnson, K., Mikels, J., Conway, A., & Wager, T. (2005) A Warm Heart and a Clear Head: The Contingent Effects of Weather on Mood and Cognition. Psychological Science, 16(9), 724-731. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01602.x
Tsutsumi, H., Tanabe, S., Harigaya, J., Iguchi, Y., & Nakamura, G. (2007) Effect of humidity on human comfort and productivity after step changes from warm and humid environment. Building and Environment, 42(12), 4034-4042. DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.06.037
Howarth, E., & Hoffman, M. (1984) A multidimensional approach to the relationship between mood and weather. British Journal of Psychology, 75(1), 15-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1984.tb02785.x
Klimstra, T., Frijns, T., Keijsers, L., Denissen, J., Raaijmakers, Q., van Aken, M., Koot, H., van Lier, P., & Meeus, W. (2011) Come rain or come shine: Individual differences in how weather affects mood. Emotion, 11(6), 1495-1499. DOI: 10.1037/a0024649
- January 7, 2013
- 12:56 PM
- 187 views
Do I have the least stressful job in 2013?
by Psych Your Mind in Psych Your Mind
About a week ago, Forbes magazine published a list of the least stressful jobs in 2013 (here). At the very top of the list was the college Professor. This sparked some outrage among my colleagues who (rightly) point out that a Professor's job is not without stress (here). The swell of outrage was so immense, that the original author posted an addendum stating that indeed, some of the characterizations of a Professorial job made in the original post--e.g., that Professors don't work har........ Read more »
Sherman GD, Lee JJ, Cuddy AJ, Renshon J, Oveis C, Gross JJ, & Lerner JS. (2012) Leadership is associated with lower levels of stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(44), 17903-7. PMID: 23012416
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