Tag Archives: personality

Individual Differences in the Stanford Prison Experiment – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

The Stanford Prison Experiment has long been held up as an example of the power of strong situations to overcome individual differences in personality and choices. The SPE not only did NOT show this, it was not even an adequate test of such a claim. People can still make personal choices even in tough situations.

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Why Don’t Comedians Live Longer? – Howard Friedman (Secrets of Longevity)

We have all heard the cliché: Laughter is the best medicine. So are comedians the longest-lived among us? Do people whose business is humor and laughter thrive and stay healthy? Should we seek a jolly good time in order to avoid cancer, heart disease, and diabetes?

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The Knowledgeable Personality – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

Research looking at how a person's knowledge of the world is correlated with their personality traits has had inconsistent findings. However, when all the findings are put together, openness to experience is the only Big Five trait substantially related to general knowledge.

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BDSM, Personality and Mental Health – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

Are people into BDSM psychologically healthier than other people, as has been widely reported? Research actually shows that dominants but not submissives are less neurotic than most people. However, the research findings should be treated with caution.

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Infidelity Detection And Women’s Interest In Oral Sex – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

A recent paper attempts to link women's interest in fellatio with an evolutionary theory of infidelity detection. The results were negative, but the authors make some convoluted efforts to support their theory. The actual psychological factors influencing women's interest in oral sex are not well understood, but personality traits may play an important role.

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Cat People Are More Distinctive Than Dog People – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

A large survey found that self-identified dog people and cat people differ in all of the Big Five personality traits. Cat people have a personality profile that stands out from other people more than that of dog people. Whether these personality differences affect other life outcomes such as happiness, has not been explored.

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Internet Ranting and the Myth of Catharsis – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

Recent research has found that internet rants make people more angry than before not less. This builds on previous findings that "venting" actually makes anger worse than before and can lead to aggressive behavior. Expressing anger in a constructive non-aggressive way can lead to more beneficial outcomes than mindless ranting or venting.

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The Misunderstood Personality Profile of Wikipedia Members – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

A widely reported study claimed that Wikipedia members have disagreeable and close-minded personality traits. However, the study report contains serious errors and these claims are therefore very misleading.

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Twitter and Mortality: To Tweet or Not to Tweet? – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

A great deal of Twitter content has been described as "pointless babble". However, for some people, particularly extraverts, Twitter usage might work to alleviate existential anxiety caused by reminders of one's own mortality. Apparently "pointless" communiques might serve to affirm an extravert's existence, although introverts seem to prefer a quieter approach.

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Personality and pain relief – Scott McGreal (Unique—Like Everybody Else)

The effectiveness of placebo treatment in relieving pain are related to personality traits associated with self-control, particularly control of anger. Brain regions that modulate pain also regulate negative emotions. Could training in self-control improve a person's ability to manage pain?

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