📣 Call for Papers! “Backfiring Effects of Social Psychological Interventions,” edited by Elizabeth Canning and Greg Walton deadline: October 1, 2026 Interventions can produce meaningful change—but good intentions do not always lead to positive outcomes. www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...

What makes something funny? 😂 This @psypost.bsky.social features work by Drew Gorenz & Norbert Schwarz that found memes, punchlines, and nicknames were funnier when they were easier to process. Fluent processing helps an unexpected joke “click,” making it funnier. www.psypost.org/comedy-is-fu...

Comedy is funnier when it is easier to process, new psychology study finds

A new study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology reveals that jokes, memes, and punchlines are significantly funnier when they are easy to process. This cognitive fluency helps our brains ...

psypost.org

📺 Why do we rewatch the same shows? Work by Jaye Derrick, @shiragabriel.bsky.social & Kurt Hugenberg cited in @huffpost.com suggests that favorite programs can act as “social surrogates” offering a sense of belonging when we feel socially disconnected www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/social...

So THAT's Why You Keep Watching The Same TV Show Instead Of Finding A New One

“Familiar people, situations, landscapes, and events become intimate and comfortable”.

huffingtonpost.co.uk

⏰ Planning the semester? Being the one in charge might make those timelines look a little more manageable than they are. A piece on why we underestimate how long our work will take highlights a study by Mario Weick & Ana Guinote examining one factor: power. siliconcanals.com/t-productivi...

Productivity advice usually starts after the plan is made, but decades of research suggest many missed deadlines begin earlier, with an optimistic estimate of how long the work will take - Silicon Can...

The estimates we make before starting work shape everything that follows—yet we're terrible at making them accurately.

siliconcanals.com

Ever had a vacation rental or rideshare that made you suspicious next time? New work by Annabelle Roberts, Emma Edelman Levine, & Jane Risen suggests that's exactly what happens A single betrayal shapes trust in future strangers; This effect didn't extend to AI www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

⬇️⬇️⬇️

Alina Schneider@schneali.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🚨 New in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social: Willful ignorance in the context of antibiotic prescribing New paper together with @miroslavsirota.bsky.social, @riangross.bsky.social, Lars Korn, @elisie.bsky.social, @corneliabetsch.bsky.social, and @robertboehm.bsky.social! Link: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...

Shared meals predict happiness—but only if we're actually sharing them. 🍽️ Research in JESP found that smartphone use during face-to-face interactions undermines enjoyment by increasing distraction. Put the phone away and pass the bread. 📵 scienceblog.com/t-in-2023-ro...

In 2023, roughly one in four American adults reported eating every meal alone on the previous day — a 53% increase since 2003 — and researchers behind the World Happiness Report found that how often p...

Eating alone is not automatically lonely. A quiet breakfast can be a relief. A solo lunch can be practical. A dinner by oneself can be chosen, restful and

scienceblog.com

🎉 Emily Balcetis, Jordan Daley, Eunha Choi, Omni Cassidy, & Marie Bragg show that adolescents are more likely to pay attention to social media influencers who share their racial/ethnic identity—and that extra attention makes unhealthy food ads more persuasive www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

TikTok Snapchat Facebook Instagram YouTube Logos

ALT: TikTok Snapchat Facebook Instagram YouTube Logos

static.klipy.com

Social psychology update: apparently hanging a vintage dustpan on your wall isn't just decor, it's self-actualization. Past JESP research cited here suggests nostalgia boosts wellbeing because it increases feelings of authenticity—feeling connected to your "true self." www.msn.com/en-in/entert...

Turns out our biggest social bias may be thinking everyone else is worse than they are. New JESP research finds most people overestimate dishonesty—and correcting that misconception makes people more trusting and less supportive of surveillance. sciencex.com/news/2026-06...

People are not as dishonest as we expect them to be, finds new study

According to a Pew Research report, Americans trust one another less than they did a few decades ago. Social trust is shaped largely by personal experiences of navigating the world, as well as by how ...

sciencex.com

We are international @psychscience.bsky.social in Barcelona!! If you are looking for an outlet for your work, think JESP!!

New science!! 💡💡

David Levari@davidlevari.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Pointing out that “everyone else is already doing it!” is a classic way to motivate prosocial behavior. But how can we encourage actions which aren't popular yet? In a new paper in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social, Mike Norton and I had a lot of fun testing a method using "collective streaks." (1/5)

New work by Slieman Halabi coming soon! We assume speaking someone’s native language builds connection. But in conflict settings, language can carry different meanings. Across two studies, Palestinian citizens reacted more negatively to a Jewish-Israeli speaker using Arabic than Hebrew...

Animated 'Coming Soon' Graphic

ALT: Animated 'Coming Soon' Graphic

static.klipy.com

New write up! Online, we don’t always learn the info—we learn the people. When you connect with others, your brain shifts from remembering content → remembering who knows what. Especially for high working-memory folks: 👉 “I don’t need to remember this—I know who to ask.” phys.org/news/2026-05...

Sharper brains switch to a 'not what you know, but who you know' mindset online and on social media, study shows

Forming social connections online and via social media reduces how much people engage with and learn from the content posted but significantly boosts their networking performance, according to new res...

phys.org

New 🧵 to 📖!!

Arshiya Aggarwal@whatsinertia.bsky.social · 5mo ago

New paper in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social!! 🧵 When people learn to fear one person, who else do they mistake for a threat, and does race shape the pattern? Read here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1m~aL51f8~...

Saying “thank you” isn’t just manners—it can shape behavior. This write up features JESP work out of @sfu.ca showing that receiving gratitude boosts feelings of social worth, making people more likely to help! Small, consistent courtesy can create ripple effects. vegoutmag.com/lifestyle/d-...

Psychology says if you say "please" and "thank you" without thinking twice you're demonstrating the rarest kind of decency — the kind that doesn't need an audience, doesn't seek a reward, and doesn't ...

While charisma can be learned and kindness can be performed, there's one behavior so deeply embedded in some people that it reveals who they truly are when nobody's watching — and psychologists say it...

vegoutmag.com

When women are labeled “intimidating,” it may reflect social expectations more than behavior. This write up features JESP research showing “brilliance” is seen as less typical in women—so the same competence can be judged differently. www.ma-grande-taille.com/en/societe/f...

"You scare men": this remark often addressed to women is controversial

More and more women see this less as a simple observation and more as a reflection of the still very present social expectations surrounding femininity.

ma-grande-taille.com

Do “two wrongs make a right”? 🤔 New JESP research featured here by MSN suggests people judge rude behavior more leniently when it’s a response to someone else’s rudeness than when it starts the conflict. www.msn.com/en-us/news/t...

Congrats, to everyone recognized the year! We would love to see your science shine even more in JESP!! ⭐️✨🌟💫🤩

Association for Psychological Science@psychscience.bsky.social · 6mo ago

⭐️ Congratulations to the newest class of APS Rising Stars ⭐️ www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awar...

🚨New paper alert🚨 Celebrate the fabulous Tisa Bertlich and her paper “Just a means to an end? Individuals support direct democracy instrumentally, irrespective of conspiracy mentality” with @zakfio.bsky.social and me just published in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social: authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

Why do people form stereotypes? In a new study Diane Pecher et al. found that memory plays an important role: People confuse individuals who look similar and reconstruct their memory based on unfounded statements about groups. This happened even when these individuals are friendly looking aliens!

a colorful alien is standing next to a white and black car

ALT: a colorful alien is standing next to a white and black car

media.tenor.com

Goodnight, Chicago! Now the real work: write up the science you presented and submit it. Let’s make sure those great ideas don’t stay in the conference room @spspnews.bsky.social #spsp2026

Can’t wait to see all of the new science at #spsp2026 Remember to think of JESP as a home for your work! See you all in Chicago!

Society for Personality and Social Psychology@spspnews.bsky.social · 7mo ago

SPSP staff is en route to Chicago for the 2026 Annual Convention! Safe travels to everyone joining us for #SPSP2026 and we’ll see you soon! #socialpsychology #psychology #personalitypsychology

Anonymous reviews don’t just “free people to be honest” they can amplify negative emotion. Past work in our journal shows anonymity increases stronger negative reactions, which can skew evaluations. Something to keep in mind when browsing Rate My Professor! pepperdine-graphic.com/rant-student...

Rant: Students Should Not Depend on Rate My Professors - Pepperdine Graphic

Rate My Professors is a popular website for students to share grievances and compliments of their professors. Perspectives Staff Writer Alyssa Hunnicutt argues Rate My Professors harbors unreliable ev...

pepperdine-graphic.com

A simple nod of agreement can lock in first impressions. Across 4 studies, brief social verification made evaluations of job applicants more consistent and stable. Shared reality doesn’t just feel real—it consolidates what we think. @m-atteomasi.bsky.social Gerrit Lamers & Gerald Echterhoff

a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application

ALT: a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application

media.tenor.com

Moral framing has long been proposed as a way to shift attitudes. @marlenevoit.bsky.social @mtwardawski.bsky.social & Moritz Fischer tested this with conservatives who are often skeptical about climate change and found it didn’t work. Thus, there are understudied limits of moral reframing.

a cartoon illustration of a globe with a face

ALT: a cartoon illustration of a globe with a face

media.tenor.com

New work by Mohamed Hussein, Zakary Tormala, & S Christian Wheeler shows that when political issues become identity-relevant, people favor radical candidates. Identity—not just policy—drives polarization. @columbiauniversity.bsky.social @stanforduniversity.bsky.social www.psypost.org/linking-pers...

Linking personal identity to political issues predicts a preference for extreme candidates

Evidence from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that connecting identity to political stances promotes extremity. This suggests that voters choose radical candidates because extre...

psypost.org

Are leaders blamed for disasters that eventually did not occur? The answer points to the crucial impact of partisanship in assigning blame for events that almost happened. @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social w/ Matejas Mackin, @danieleffron.bsky.social, and Neal Roese authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

This @psychologytoday.com piece by @rossgwhite.com explores what fuels dehumanization, citing past work by Francesca Prati, Richard Crisp, & Monica Rubini showing that counter-stereotype exposure reduces prejudice and helps re‑humanize others. 🧠💙 www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...

Dehumanization: The Catastrophic Loss of Our Shared Humanity

Autoimmune diseases misidentify parts of the body as a threat. Dehumanization mirrors this error. Here's why we dismiss others’ humanity and how to break the cycle.

psychologytoday.com

On holiday break this week? Some new reading below!! ⬇️⬇️

Valentin Mang@valentinmang.bsky.social · 10mo ago

New paper out in @jexpsocpsych.bsky.social ! We (@kwinter.bsky.social, @kaiepstude.bsky.social , Bob Fennis and I) found that encouraging counterfactual thinking reduces engagement with conspiracy theories (i.e., clicks on, and reading times for, conspiracy articles). A 🧵 1/n