When people commit the same misbehavior at work, like sexual harassment, they should receive the same professional consequences. But some people get away with lighter punishments. Whereas one perpetrator rightly gets fired for their job, another person may simply have to attend an “educational workshop.” In a paper published just this year, two researchers have identified a systematic bias in how these punishments are applied: For the very same misbehavior (sexual misconduct, racial discrimination), people whose job seems more “scientific” receive lighter professional consequences than those ..read more

Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes that is an ad. – Howard Gossage Have you ever felt your attention suddenly yanked away — while walking, maybe even driving on the freeway, certainly while scrolling your phone — all because… …of an advertisement?  Bus stop posters. Click here to continue reading ..read more

Happiness is a person’s greatest aim in life. Tranquility and rationality are the cornerstones of happiness. – Epicurus There are a lot of “invisible,” psychological factors that influence our evaluations and behavior. For example, maybe you’re certain that this is the consumer product you want. Click here to continue reading ..read more

If destruction be our lot, we [will] ourselves be its author and finisher. – Abraham Lincoln from his speech “The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions” on his concerns regarding mob violence Nowadays, it’s common knowledge that the U.S. — and countries around the world — face an increasing threat.  No, I’m not talking about the energy crisis. Click here to continue reading ..read more

We take better care of our smartphone than ourselves. — Arianna Huffington A finding that might shock you: on average, people spend 20% of their entire waking day looking at their phone. Probably one of the biggest changes in human behavior over the last two decades has been the use of the cell phone. Click here to continue reading ..read more

No relationship is all sunshine, but two people can share one umbrella and survive the storm together – Anonymous For as much as human society glamorizes romantic relationships, they sure are difficult. Whether that is starting a romance or maintaining it, there are plenty of challenges. Click here to continue reading ..read more

Stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper. — Kurt Vonnegut The title of today’s post shares its name with the title of new and fascinating research that tries to answer the following question: why do certain movies, books, stories, etc. catch on and become popular? Click here to continue reading ..read more

This week, I’m excited to share with you an audible version of Everyday Psych. Featured on the podcast, Water Cooler Talk, I spoke with Adam Schultz about the spread of misinformation and the psychology of privacy — why we claim to care about it but then never do much to protect it. Click here to continue reading ..read more

This week, I’m excited to bring you something unique for Everyday Psych: a personal interview with one of psychology’s most esteemed and influential psychologists, Dr. Richard Nisbett. Dr. Nisbett discovered some of the most interesting findings in social psychology, conducting research on people’s ability to introspect, on what ‘intelligence’ actually is, and how people from different cultures literally think differently. Click here to continue reading ..read more

Today features an article from contributor, Matt Coleman, on how your views on productivity can influence more than just how much work you get done. In the modern Western world, we value productivity a lot. Many of us strive to maximize how much we can check off our to-do list and assess our self-worth accordingly. Click here to continue reading ..read more