Psychology

Rule breakers are often more creative, because they are not bound by conventional ideas. So are liars. Yet one of those has a positive connotation and one is negative. But lying about…

If you want to turn down the emotional intensity before making an important decision, turn down the lights, say Alison Jing Xu, assistant professor of management at the University of Toronto…

Why are some people are unable to break free of their delusions, despite overwhelming evidence explaining the delusion isn't real? A new paper by a philosopher offers as good an explanation as any,…

Does cortisol, the stress hormone, cause risk aversion and 'irrational pessimism' in bankers and fund managers during financial crises? The authors of a paper in Proceedings of the National…

Is your significant other fickle? Blame evolution, say psychologists in a new Psychological Bulletin paper. The authors analyzed dozens of published and unpublished studies to try and determine how…

First impressions are so powerful that they can override what we are told about people, say social psychologists. A new paper presented today at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (…

Loneliness is not a gnawing, chronic disease without redeeming features, social isolation is just a different scale of organization that can't be grasped outside evolutionary time and evolutionary…

Do television shows and magazines make you feel guilty for not wearing sexy lingerie, ladies? You may just need some marketing empowerment from academics in the humanities. Luckily, at Valentine's…

Looking for a good book? Then stay away from the award-winning section of the bookstore, because high standards means a greater chance for a letdown, according to Amanda Sharkey of the University of…

Health education videos tell us what really matters to people. Two videos both began by offering information about UV light and sun-protective behaviors but then one describes the increased skin…