SWAG: Racial Bias in Pain Perception

Tom Brady is no stranger to pain ( source ) Every Wednesday afternoon, I gather with a bunch of faculty and graduate students at the Univers...

The Daddy Chronicles: What Happened To My Testosterone?

Zoë at two weeks I'm not sure how many of you know this, but on March 19th of this year I became a new daddy. It's hard to describe ...

SPSP 2013: How Much Inequality Is Too Much?

“Of all the babies that die every year, what percent should be from the richest 20% and what percent should be from the poorest 20%?” – Mik...

Do I have the least stressful job in 2013?

About a week ago, Forbes magazine published a list of the least stressful jobs in 2013 ( here ). At the very top of the list was the college...

PYM: Holiday Edition

Looking for your perfect holiday? The holidays are upon us, which can mean family, fun, food, and cheer. But also, stress, anxiety, conflict...

What is Charisma?

Did charisma win the 2012 election? Today on PYM we are pleased to bring you the second guest blog from Emily Plutov, advanced undergraduate...

Is there a feminine side to dominance?

Is there a female dominance hormone? ( source ) Today on PYM we are pleased to bring you a guest blog from Emily Plutov . Emily is an advanc...

Status Hierarchies: Do We Need Them?

Emile Durkheim ( source ) I have been studying the topic of social status ever since I started my graduate training. That was in 2004 when G...

A Game of Thrones: Lessons About Status II

Lord Varys, the eunuch ( source ) This week is my first week of teaching a new course at the  University of Illinois . The course is called ...

How the Rich are Different from the Poor II: Empathy

In the many conversations that  F. Scott Fitzgerald  had with his friend  Ernest Hemingway , Fitzgerald was believed to have said  "The...

How the Rich are Different from the Poor I: Choice

In the many conversations that F. Scott Fitzgerald had with his friend Ernest Hemingway , Fitzgerald was believed to have said that "...

The Happiness Chronicles III: Does Status Increase Happiness?

"Beggars do not envy millionaires, but of course, they do envy other beggars who are more successful." -- Bertram  Bertrand Russel...

It's lonely at the top: Power makes you mistrusting

It's lonely at the top Power is desirable – it helps us achieve goals, frees us from many social constraints, and allows us to be oursel...

A Game of Thrones: Lessons About Status

source In the Fall of 2012 I will be teaching a new course titled "Status, Power, and Influence" at the University of Illinois . I...

Friday Fun: Mad Men With Power Moves

When Mad Men started it's  final  fifth season on AMC, I received a good laugh when I was alerted to the hashtag #draping . The lead cha...

Can Mitt Romney connect with the working-class voter?

Mitt Romney ( source ) During a US Presidential campaign it is common practice for a candidate to engage in some form of impression manageme...

The Psychology of Hazing

Paddle to the back side - a classic hazing strategy Would you join a new club if you knew it meant you had to sing an embarrassing song in p...

The Power to be Me

The Power to be Me We certainly have a wealth of anecdotes about what having power does to people: Power has led political figures like Herm...

The Happiness Chronicles, Part II: Does Money Buy Happiness?

This is the second installment of an occasional series on Psych Your Mind examining the pursuit of happiness. Last time we considered the da...

Three Myths About Power

Does Power Corrupt?  source The reign of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi came to an end last week at the hands of a combination of rebel and...