sociology
We all know assholes. Perhaps, you are one. Now, psychologists are trying to answer one of life’s biggest mysteries: What, exactly, makes someone an asshole?
Shame is a powerful tool that must be used with care.
To the ancient Greeks, exotic animals were proof of mythological creatures. To the ancient Romans, they were oddities and adversaries.
And debate over it started soon after.
Were Hitler’s SS henchmen willing executioners fueled by racial propaganda or mindless servants vying for promotions?
The Spanish language has the ability to minimize and exaggerate by the simple addition of a suffix.
It doesn’t matter how ridiculous a lie is. As long as it is repeated often enough, some people will believe it.
Ukraine destroyed a railway to prevent passage from Transnistria into Ukraine.
People underestimate their opponent’s capacity to feel basic human sensations. We can short-circuit this impulse through moral reframing and perspective taking.
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
If the metaverse is money, then companies will certainly want to play, too.
Catholic sisters outnumber priests and religious on every continent.
Overwashing is bad for skin health, but many people do it anyway. One reason is that our brains intimately associate stink with disgust.
Social media distorts the reality of the public sphere.
On forums, “true bitcoiners” didn’t talk about technology or crypto. Instead, they talked about trust and corruption.
The results of a 2021 study suggest that the world’s most powerful psychedelic may be an underutilized peace-building tool.
Society treats teenagers as if they’re a problem to be solved, but the truth is that we have to prepare them to solve our problems. It’s time that we change the narrative.
Sludge may be inevitable, but there are better ways to manage such frictions in our daily lives.
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Outrage is a useful emotion that helped our ancient ancestors survive. Today, it leaves us feeling angry, tired, powerless, and miserable.
A growing body of research shows that religious people seem to enjoy more psychological well-being compared to others.
Like witchcraft, “racecraft” refers to a kind of magical thinking — one that treats race as if it were scientifically meaningful.
Too many people still view stay-at-home dads as feckless deadbeats, but their acceptance is an important step toward gender equality.
The very concept of a “problem with no solution” goes against human nature. But we must accept this harsh reality to have peace in our lives.
Pet owners have consistently reported higher levels of social capital in their communities than people without pets.
“What am I missing?” is a question that journalist Mónica Guzmán thinks more people should start asking.
When actual people correct misinformation online, it can be as effective, if not more so, as when a social media company labels something as questionable.
When we fail to help in a bad situation, we are morally responsible. So, why don’t we pick up others’ litter?
Investments in public libraries are a long-term investment in children and communities.