Random clown sightings don’t make everyone laugh. A psychologist who has studied creepiness explains why clowns are especially adept at making us squirm.
Psychology as an academic discipline needs to take a long, hard look at itself.
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Many people believe they have a soul. But for psychologists, who study behaviour, it is not so much that souls do not exist, it is that there is no need for them.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo at the site of an explosion in Chelsea, New York.
REUTERS
A year of violence continues with bombs in NYC and a stabbing in Minnesota, leaving many asking, why? A psychologist explains what research has revealed about the minds of violent extremists.
Attempts to model your web experience led to fears of an echo chamber effect, but rather than reinforcing your sense of self, the process might be altering it.
Flashbulb memories of 9/11 are more vivid than ordinary memories, but no more accurate.
Shannon Stapleton
We may feel like flashbulb memories of dramatic events are more accurate than ordinary memories, but are they really? An experiment begun Sept. 12, 2001 sheds light.
Disparagement humor makes a punchline out of a marginalized group. Racist or sexist jokes, for instance, aren’t just harmless fun – psychologists find they can foster discrimination.
Psychology research shows how hair combing sends a powerful message from parent to child.
'Combing' via www.shutterstock.com
The idea that we make rational choices is the basis for how businesses and governments make their plans. But psychologists have been asking some awkward questions.
Who are you really talking to in your virtual chat?
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Relationship education programs are meant to strengthen low-income couples, with the idea children would benefit. But focusing on communication skills overlooks what really matters to these Americans.
Can we generalize about leadership style based on gender?
Mike Blake/Reuters
Studies can’t predict an individual’s behavior. But meta-analyses of social science research turn up differences in men’s versus women’s leadership styles, on average.