behavior | SPSP

The Social Consequences of Incidental Embarrassment

Embarrassment can feel awkward in the moment, and even have awkward effects later on.

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Who "Spills Their Guts" Online?

Dark personalities share more online, but it isn’t always honest.

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Mean Kids Become Mean Adults

Ever wonder what happened to the mean kids from school? Our research suggests that many haven’t changed.

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Why are Narcissists Promoted in their Jobs?

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Recommendations of supervisors are critical for employee promotion chances. Is there something about narcissistic employees that makes them seem more promotable?

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No Man Is an Island: People Who Say They Don’t Need Other People Actually Care about Close Relationships

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The more people claim to not care about social connections, the happier they are if they learn that others accept them.

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Psychopathic CEOs: Fact or Fiction?

Many Americans believe that CEOs are typically immoral people, perhaps even psychopaths. But research tells a subtler and more interesting story.

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Speciesism: How We Privilege Certain Animals Over Others

Is there any connection between preferring dogs over pigs and preferring some social groups over others? Research on speciesism suggests that the answer is yes.

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Can We Foresee the Future? Explaining and Predicting Cultural Change

What does the future hold? Our enduring fascination with predicting the future is reflected on the silver screen, as excitement builds over the Blade Runner sequel. We continue being mesmerized by ancient prophecies, such as Nostradamus' Quatrains. And we certainly pay very well to pundits, economists, and intelligence analysts who try to predict coming social, economic, and political events. Unfortunately, this abiding interest in prediction has not translated into the ability to forecast future events with much accuracy.

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A Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell: Revisiting Brown v. Board

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Malcolm Gladwell is the best-selling author of books that explore the implications of behavioral science research on our lives and society. His books include Outliers, The Tipping Point, and What the Dog Saw. Last year, he launched a new podcast, Revisionist History, which recently began its second season. The podcast is dedicated to taking a closer look at the past, and Gladwell’s treatment of the events and people he examines is often informed by behavioral science.

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Overcoming the Biases That Come Between Us

Elvis counsels, “Before you abuse, criticize, and accuse … walk a mile in my shoes.” Dylan wishes, “For just one time, you could stand inside my shoes.” Paul McCartney asks us once again to try to see it his way. If you are The King, a Nobel laureate, or a knight—not to mention a rock star—perhaps it is reasonable to expect that everyone else should take your perspective. For the rest of us, if we hope that “we can work it out,” it seems vital for us to try harder and try smarter to understand others—especially these days.

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