Psychology

Two things men believe; first, women like them more when they are taken and second, a woman's relationship status influences her interest in the opposite sex.  At least that second part appears…

Employees who have some influence at work perform better service but praise and encouragement from managers has no particular significance in terms of loyalty toward the employer. Social recognition…

Money does not buy happiness, it is said, and apparently it does not factor much into optimism either.   20 percent of humanity hoards 83 percent of the world's wealth but the vast majority of…

Over the years, some global opinion surveys and analysts have estimated that as many as 10% of Muslims worldwide hold violent extremist religious views. A recent polling study by the Gallup…

In the April 6, 2009 Edition of The Nation, Professor Michael T. Klare has written a rather thoughtful article ("Global Crime Wave?") on how the global economic crisis may be pushing a surge in crime…

Are there common structures or patterns to violent extremist ideologies, even when the content of the beliefs is dramatically different?  Social and political scientists have explored elements…

Should You Share  A Higher Genetic Risk? If you learned that you were at high risk of cancer because you carry the hereditary BRCA1/2 gene mutation, would you tell your children? A recent study…

Human rights abuses are commonly associated with despotic, totalitarian regimes, not with weak and failing states. But Professor Neil Englehart’s recent study of 140 nations suggests that weak states…

Why are people scared before an epidemic even happens?—A question inspired by the recent H1N1 outbreak.  From a sociological perspective, entities that we rely upon to keep us safe from harm are…

Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest randomized trial of its kind,…