A recent study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin has found a significant link between economic inequality and voter behavior. The research, involving six experiments with over 1,900 participants from China and the United Kingdom, found that higher levels of economic inequality tend to reduce voters’ preferences for competent political leaders. The motivation behind the study stems from a growing concern about how economic inequality might be reshaping the political landscape in democratic societies. Recent elections around the globe have highlighted a shift in voter b ..read more

A recent study published in the journal Behavioral Sciences sheds light on the relationship between psychopathic traits and risky sexual behaviors among young adults. The research highlights that specific traits associated with psychopathy, namely antisociality and callousness, are significant predictors of engaging in risky sexual practices. Risky sexual behavior encompasses actions that increase the likelihood of negative health outcomes related to sexual activity. These behaviors include unprotected sex, having multiple sexual partners, and engaging in sex under the influence of drugs or al ..read more

A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour has shed light on the impact of emotional language on online news consumption. The findings reveal that negative words in news headlines significantly increase the likelihood of users clicking on the news stories, with each additional negative word boosting the click-through rate by 2.3% on average. The digital age has transformed how we consume news. Today, most people obtain their news online, engaging with content for brief periods despite vast available sources. This shift has driven media outlets to fiercely compete for reader attention, oft ..read more

Recent research published in the Journal of Information Technology & Politics has illuminated the comparative effectiveness of Donald Trump’s use of social media platforms Truth Social and Twitter in garnering media attention during major U.S. election cycles. The study found that Truth Social was more effective in attracting news coverage for Trump during the 2022 midterm elections than Twitter during the 2016 primaries. Donald Trump, known for his bombastic style and media savvy, effectively utilized Twitter to amplify his presence and messages during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections ..read more

New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that the heroization of groups such as healthcare workers or military personnel might inadvertently have negative consequences. In contemporary society, certain occupations, particularly healthcare workers, military personnel, and educators, have been elevated to hero status, especially in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon is not mere nicety but is deeply ingrained in media portrayals, governmental accolades, and commercial content, which often portray these workers in superhero-lik ..read more

A recent study published in the journal Telematics and Informatics has found that individuals who use social media for news are more inclined to block sources of misinformation when they experience high levels of fear of missing out (FOMO). The study provides new insights into the social dynamics of how people manage their online environments to counter misinformation, particularly in light of the growing influence of social media on public opinion and democracy. Prior research has largely focused on why people fall for or spread misinformation, but little attention has been given to how users ..read more

A series of studies in the Journal of Personality found that greedy people briefly feel proud when they acquire something new, but this feeling fades quickly, leading them to keep wanting more. Psychologists define greed as an insatiable desire to acquire more, paired with persistent dissatisfaction, regardless of what one already possesses. This paradox suggests that greedy individuals are trapped in a relentless cycle of acquisition that fails to fulfill their needs. In this work, Eric J. Mercadante and Jessica L. Tracy explored this phenomenon by examining how pride—both authentic and hubri ..read more

A recent study published in Personality and Individual Differences found that not all narcissists think alike. Specifically, grandiose and vulnerable narcissists differ significantly in their metacognitive abilities. “As a field, we’re still trying to figure out how much, if at all, our personalities might be related to the ways we think and process information. On a superficial level, I think most people would probably expect that the two are related. But the bulk of the research evidence so far is mixed,” said Shane Littrell (@MetacogniShane), PhD, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Munk School of ..read more

A recent study published in the Journal of Population Economics sheds light on the unintended consequences of Sweden’s ban on the purchase of sex. The research indicates that the regulation, aimed at curbing prostitution, may have led to an unexpected increase in rape offenses. The regulation of prostitution remains a highly debated issue globally. In the United States, prostitution is illegal except for in Nevada. European countries vary in their approach from decriminalization, like in Denmark, to outright bans on purchasing sex, such as the Nordic model adopted by Sweden, Norway, and Icelan ..read more

In the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a study tested whether speeches by Republican politicians could bolster support for democratic norms among party voters. The findings revealed that despite the perceived initial effectiveness of the speeches by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mitch McConnell, they did not significantly impact the attitudes of Donald Trump’s supporters. The research was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Political Science. The violent breach of the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump marked a stark challenge to democr ..read more