Social psychologists investigated why Facebook users post profile pics of themselves with a romantic partner and how those online displays are interpreted by others.
A new study highlights the importance of the ‘intergroup sensitivity effect’ in comedy, which gives people license to tell certain jokes, but not others.
You’re just as likely to be a victim of a mass shooting as you are to be struck by lightning. So why do nearly 50% of Americans say they’re afraid of being caught in the crossfire?
Inequality, poverty, austerity, pollution and a faster pace of life all put strains on city-dwellers – but insights from psychology could help create a more supportive urban environment.
It’s a psychological quirk that when something becomes rarer, people may spot it in more places than ever. What is the ‘concept creep’ that lets context change how we categorize the world around us?
In the US, smiling is a reflexive gesture of goodwill, but Russians view it as a sign of stupidity. Social psychology research could help explain this cultural contrast.
We can disagree with co-workers in meetings. We can argue about sports with friends. A new study explores why politics seems to be an entirely different beast.
Provost Professor of Psychology and Marketing and co-director of the Dornsife Mind & Society Center, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences