Is it love or just a rollercoaster ride?

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Can you imagine getting off a roller coaster ride and falling in love with the first attractive person you see as you leave the ride? Likely not. But in fact,  classic social psychology experiments have shown that sometimes people do misattribute feelings of fear and anxiety to sexual attraction. More generally, researchers have found that when people feel physiologically aroused (think racing heart, sweaty palms), they use environmental cues to help them determine why they are feeling that way (Schacter & Singer, 1962).

Step 1. Notice I have sweaty palms and a racing heart.
Step 2. Determine what is going on around me: Is there a big bear behind me? I must be afraid. Did I just get an award? I must be excited. And in the case of sexual attraction - am I on a date with someone I like? I must be really attracted to them.

Most of the time, this two step process should lead people to correctly figure out why they are feeling the way they do. How likely is it that you are being chased by a big bear but your heart is racing because you are nervous about a big talk you have to give next week? However, as I mentioned above, there may be times when this process leads people to misattribute their physiological arousal to the wrong environmental cue, such as assuming you are really attracted to your date after you ride a roller coaster together.

Friday Fun: Are you a fantasizer?

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With all of the season finales happening on tv the past few weeks, I've been in a bit of a funk. I feel like some of my good friends have just taken off for a three month vacation, and I miss them already. During the Glee finale I felt like I was in New York with the New Directions, and had goosebumps when they performed at Nationals. When it was over, I kept replaying the highlights of the episode in my head. The worst is when the finales leave you with a cliffhanger - will Beckett be okay, and will Castle and Beckett ever get together on Castle? Can Leslie and Ben keep their love a secret from Chris on Parks and Recreation? Is Jack Donaghy really going to be a single dad on 30 Rock? Sometimes these cliffhangers leave me so concerned with the future of the characters that I find myself searching online for spoilers, just so I can move on with my life. And its not just TV, books do the same thing - once I start reading a book I can't put it down because I just have to know how it ends. But when I get to the end, I get a mild case of the blues and feel like I just moved towns and had to say goodbye to all my friends. I'm the girl who cries easily when she's watching sad or happy movies, grips your arm when its scary, covers her eyes when its suspenseful, and yells at the characters when they are mean or stupid.

Can casseroles cure loneliness?

Comfort food

After a painful break-up or a bad fight, many people turn to the comfort of food to fill the void and soothe their emotional pain. Whether it's the infamous pint of Ben & Jerry's or a deep-dish pizza with extra cheese, everyone has their go-to comfort foods. New research conducted by Jordan Troisi and Shira Gabriel suggests that certain foods are comforting not only because they taste good and distract us from our pain, but more importantly because they remind us of close relationships, helping us feel less alone. In other words, because we tend to eat certain foods in the company of loved ones, over time we develop a cognitive association between the foods and the feeling of being loved and cared for (e.g., chicken soup when we're sick, cake at birthday parties). When we're feeling hurt or lonely, these foods bring back those feelings of acceptance, just as other types of "social surrogates" - like TV characters or our favorite reality show contestants - serve to make us feel more connected to others even when others are absent.

How to get to the gym when you would rather sit on the couch.

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For months now a good friend has been trying to convince me to run a half marathon with him. Each time the conversation comes up I casually change the subject, check my phone for new messages, or look him in the face and say “heck no.”  Why am I resistant to such a healthful, fun, and challenging event?

I have two reasons. First, I am by no means in shape. I get winded after five minutes at a light jog. The thought that my sorry body could take me 13 miles is unfathomable and probably unrealistic (at least at the moment). Second, and perhaps more importantly, I have no willpower when it comes to exercise. No matter how many times I begin a regular routine of pilates, or yoga, or tennis, within a few weeks I have fallen off the wagon. While I think a half marathon is a little much given my current fitness level, I have promised this friend that I will start going on regular runs with him as he trains for the event. This time, however, I am making the goal to stick with it. But the question is…HOW?

To get started, I can form a goal intention, which is simply labeling my goal, or putting it into words. In this case my goal intention is “I want to run regularly each week.” Every day I can remind myself of my goal intention with the hopes that those reminders will be enough to get me to the track. Will my goal intention help me? Will it overcome that issue I have with willpower and exercise? Unfortunately I don’t think so. Each day I can easily put off my goal and claim I'll do my running the next day, or the day after that.
   
Instead, I am going to use an implementation intention to achieve my goal of regular running. Implementation intentions are a strategy psychologists have developed for goal pursuit (e.g. Gollwitzer, 1993). They have been shown to deliver results! Implementation intentions specify the where, when, and in what way a person should implement their goal. They do this by linking a very specific cue or situation to a very specific response. For example, my implementation intention is “When the clock hits five on Mondays and Thursdays, I will change into my exercise gear and go for my run.”

How does the implementation intention work?

But that’s not all! The art (and science) of persuasion

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When I was in elementary school, there was a brief period where I was a member of the Campfire Kids (imagine a knockoff Girls Scouts where boys were allowed to join too). And of course, like the Girl Scouts, every year we had our candy drive. What candy I couldn’t unload on my dad’s coworkers, I’d try to sell door to door. As part of my pitch, I got to let them know that if they bought a box of candy, they’d also be getting a coupon to the local pizza place! Little did I know that I was practicing an age-old persuasion technique called “That’s-Not-All.” 

For today’s post, I am going to let you in on some of the most commonly used persuasion techniques that people employ to get what they want. In fact you may have been using these techniques for years without even realizing it. Hopefully this will help you put a name to the technique, and prevent you from falling prey the next time a salesperson (even that cute little girl trying to sell you candy) tries to use one on you. Or, in a more evil moment, you may find yourself employing one of these techniques to ensure that you get what you want.

Power Corrupts? Research Says, "Not Always..."

Did power lead to Arnold's infidelity? source

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton (1887)

We have many ideas about leaders in our society-- those individuals who have the capacity to influence the rewards and punishments of the rest of us. One of the more prominent opinions is expressed in the above quote. That is, powerful people are arrogant, selfish, greedy, immoral, and deceitful. Some research tends to support this perspective:

For instance, people placed in powerful roles are notoriously bad at taking others' perspectives. In one study, powerful individuals--when asked to draw an "E" on their forhead, drew the "E" to read for themselves rather than to read for another participant. As another example, powerful individuals are also seen as more self-interested than their low-power counterparts. More specifically, powerful individuals focus more intently on their own goals and motives, while resisting situational influences on their actions and intentions.

The powerful response is on the left. source

Anecdotal evidence also suggests that power corrupts. Recently, California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger has been embroiled in personal scandal, and recent memory suggests that this type of immoral action is nothing new among the powerful (see here).

If all this research is correct, and power does indeed corrupt, that means our leaders are doomed to be a-holes (for lack of a better word). But is that really the case? Can we expect all of our leaders to engage in immoral, selfish, and deceitful action? Recent research suggests no.

Friday Fun: What's your attachment style?

Is Edward being too clingy?

In romantic relationships, we all have our MOs. Some people tend to be more clingy and needy of affection, whereas others seem to be wearing an armor of steel, afraid to let anyone get too close. In psychology, these tendencies are referred to as adult attachment styles, and they are presumably based on interactions with caregivers in early childhood, and to some extent on later relationships. Decades of research on adult attachment styles have revealed that they have powerful effects on romantic relationships and mental health. So what is your attachment style?

Initial leanings: When names become destiny

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Have you ever noticed that a person's name resembles their profession, their significant other's name, or some other important aspect of their life? For example, Amelia Earhart (pronounced air-heart) was a famous aviatrix, Mark Shuttleworth was the second space tourist, and Anna Smashnova was a tennis pro (see this wikipedia page for more examples). If you are an academic, you may also have noticed this phenomenon in the topics that researchers choose to study. You may even see it happen in your own life, but you will most likely write it off as a meaningless coincidence. No one wants to think that their most important decisions are guided by something as arbitrary as the letters or phonetics of their name. But research suggests that our names may indeed lead us to choose particular paths, or at least nudge us in one direction over another, without our awareness.