Expansion of marriage rights to same-sex couples also expanded access to the psychological benefits that come with tying the knot

A happy marriage comes with many benefits for mental and physical health. Theory and recent research suggest same-sex couples have accessed those benefits since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision.

Matthew D. Johnson, Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
June 18, 2025 • ~7 min

What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences

A global study seeks insights into what helps people feel happy, healthy and satisfied – and what holds them back.

Tyler J. VanderWeele, Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard University • conversation
May 1, 2025 • ~10 min

Perceived consensus drives moral intolerance in a time of identity-driven politics and online bubbles

A psychologist explains how group identity, polarizing issues and social media are driving people apart – and suggests some remedies.

Jen Cole Wright, Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston • conversation
April 14, 2025 • ~9 min

Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

Researchers probed what psychologists call the ‘paradox of effort’ to learn how different people value work they could do in the future or that they’ve already accomplished in the past.

Przemysław Marcowski, Postgraduate Researcher in Social Cognition, University of California, San Diego • conversation
April 4, 2025 • ~7 min

Trump’s first term polarized teens’ views on racism and inequality

A social scientist tracking adolescents’ beliefs and behaviors over time was uniquely positioned to document changes in teens’ worldviews after Trump’s 2016 election.

Laura Wray-Lake, Professor of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
March 17, 2025 • ~8 min

Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it

By thinking of the flow of anger, you can unpack its key dimensions: its path and intensity. Is the stream pointed effectively? Is its strength appropriate?

Ray Friedman, Professor of Management and Professor of Asian Studies, Vanderbilt University • conversation
March 6, 2025 • ~8 min

An eye for an eye: People agree about the values of body parts across cultures and eras

People from many different cultures across the globe and across millennia largely agree about which body parts are most valuable – and how much compensation they warrant when injured.

Jaimie Arona Krems, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
Jan. 10, 2025 • ~11 min

An upward spiral – how small acts of kindness and connection really can change the world, according to psychology research

A psychologist and human connection researcher explains how individual acts of kindness and connection can have a real impact on global change when these acts are collective.

Liza M. Hinchey, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychology, Wayne State University • conversation
Nov. 27, 2024 • ~8 min

Monkeys know who will win the election – primal instincts humans share with them shape voters’ choices

Every human brain still holds primitive instincts that we share with our monkey ancestors. Is that part of your brain in charge when you cast your ballot?

Michael Platt, Professor of Marketing and Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania • conversation
Nov. 1, 2024 • ~8 min

Americans own guns to protect themselves from psychological as well as physical threats

Owning a gun can influence your outlook, both fueling a sense of danger in the world around you and holding out the promise of rescuing you from those fears.

Nick Buttrick, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison • conversation
Oct. 31, 2024 • ~8 min

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