Psychology

Christmas Is Not About Reciprocity- But It's Hard To Escape

By Lisa Regan, University of Liverpool The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 24 2014 - 12:31pm

What Is The Insanity Defense?

The insanity defense is often an option of last resort rather than a lenient alternative to imprisonment. Douglas LeMoine By Meron Wondemaghen, University of New England ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 26 2014 - 2:10pm

Moderates Are More Susceptible To Common Cognitive Bias Than Extremists

People who occupy the extreme ends of the political spectrum, be they liberals or conservatives, are less influenced by outside information bias than political moderates, according to psychologists. The research used a simple estimation task and was condu ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 29 2014 - 7:23pm

Why We Give Up On New Year's Resolutions, Online Courses And Diets

By David Glance, University of Western Australia One of the characteristic features of Massive Open Online Courses is the observation that no matter how many students enroll in a course, only between 5 to 10% of them will ever complete it. Setting aside t ...

Article - The Conversation - Jan 1 2015 - 12:33pm

All Pets Help Children With Autism Gain Sociality

Pets play an important role in our social lives and they can act as catalysts for social interaction, previous research has shown, because pets often serve as "social lubricants." Although much media attention has focused on how dogs can improve ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 3 2015 - 9:00am

Symbolic Gestures: The Magical Thinking Of New Year's Resolutions

Have you made your 2015 New Year's Resolutions yet? Toni Blay By Jayashri Kulkarni, Monash University “I will definitely give up smoking – that’s my New Year’s resolution,” she stated emphatically as she thumped her fist on the table to underline her ...

Article - The Conversation - Jan 1 2015 - 12:33pm

A Guilty Complex Is Actually A Good Trait In An Employee

People who don't want to disappoint you and that are prone to guilt if things go wrong are the least likely to want to commit to a project- but they may be who you want on your team, because if they do commit, that propensity for feeling guilty if th ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 3 2015 - 1:25pm

Many People Use Drugs: Here’s Why Most Don’t Become Addicts

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Article - The Conversation - Jan 6 2015 - 11:48am

Let It Out: Anger Correlated To Better Health

In the Western world- well, outside Italy- people are told to reduce their anger or suffer its ill effects, such as stress, but new research using surveys from the US and Japan suggests that anger may actually be linked with better health.  Displays of ang ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 7 2015 - 11:52am

Morality Might Seem Boring – But It Takes Imagination To Live A Moral Life

The way we relate to other people shapes our moral life – and that's something that requires imagination. David Galindo/Flickr By Matthew Beard, University of Notre Dame Australia Creativity and imagination- it’s impossible to discuss one without ref ...

Article - The Conversation - Jan 7 2015 - 7:54pm