Essential Reads

Discrimination: Is It Me or Is It Them?

It is common to blame yourself for discrimination. But discrimination is not your fault.

People Evaluate You Differently Than You Think They Do

By Art Markman Ph.D. on January 05, 2018 in Ulterior Motives
There are many situations in which you have to decide how to present information about yourself that other people will evaluate. What information should you provide?
Public Domain, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)

How Strong Values Sustain a Team's Performance

By Michael D. Matthews Ph.D. on January 04, 2018 in Head Strong
High performing organizations maintain excellence despite personnel churn, while others fail. What makes the difference?
Wikimedia Commons

Difficult Decisions: The Costs of Consensus

By Al Pittampalli on January 03, 2018 in Are You Persuadable?
Consensus has clear benefits, but we often underestimate the costs.

More Posts on Work

The Invention of Hyperlinks

By Gary Klein Ph.D. on January 04, 2018 in Seeing What Others Don't
Hyperlinks are critical for using our smartphones, using touchscreens, navigating the internet. Yet we take them for granted. How did they get invented?

Do You Have What It Takes to Be Your Own Boss?

By Bobby Hoffman Ph.D. on January 04, 2018 in Motivate!
New year, new job! If you want to start a business, work for yourself, or be your own boss you must also embrace these skills to be successful.

The Seeds of Cultural Change

What can we learn about masculinity from the sexual harassment scandals dominating the media world?

Get to “Yes” Faster With Grapes

Perceived trust between individuals can be enhanced by mimicking food choice and body posture. How are the bosses of today mimicking our food choices to enhance cooperation?

Meaningful Moments from Two Decades Studying Single People

By Bella DePaulo Ph.D. on January 02, 2018 in Living Single
A moment when the conversation about single people suddenly became more enlightened, and another moment that left me stunned and demoralized.

Gender and Cinema: Portrayals of Female Academics

By Kyle D Killian Ph.D., LMFT on December 31, 2017 in Intersections
There are few films featuring a female academic, and most of those stink.

Men, Power and Nonverbal Cues

By Audrey Nelson Ph.D. on December 31, 2017 in He Speaks, She Speaks
Today males (and white males, at that) still hold the majority of “power” positions (CEOs, company or board presidents) at Fortune 500 companies.

How Much Does Your Soul Weigh?

By Mario D Garrett Ph.D. on December 31, 2017 in iAge
We have a great interest in “proving” things. The problem with science is that it is necessarily finicky with details and the problem with belief is that it is necessarily not.

Ambiguity at Work: Friend, Foe, or a Bit of Both?

By Wilma Koutstaal Ph.D. on December 29, 2017 in Our Innovating Minds
Chasing creativity in the workplace –– what's ambiguity got to do with it?

Want to Get Back on Track This January?

By Amy Green M.A. on December 28, 2017 in Psy-curious
Planning to make some changes this New Year's? These three habits may be holding you back.

Dare to Seek Change in 2018

If you can embrace some initial fear and challenge to your routine at work and in life, you've likely opened the doors to success in 2018.

Socializing in the Workplace: Who, Why, How

Not sure where to draw the line on socializing with work colleagues? Read this.

Back Away from the Desk

By Bruce Grierson on December 21, 2017 in The Carpe Diem Project
"May all your sheep have lambs, but not on Christmas night."

Can You Outsource Your Anxiety?

By Goal Auzeen Saedi Ph.D. on December 21, 2017 in Millennial Media
Are days flying by while work keeps piling up? It is easy to feel anxious as the days feel shorter and our to-do lists longer. It is no wonder outsourcing is gaining popularity.
Chris Karidis/Unsplash

Don’t Tread on Me! Psychological Reactance as Omnipresent

By Ryan Smerek, Ph.D. on December 21, 2017 in Learning at Work
Are we pre-wired to react against being told what to do?

Successful Teamwork for Introverts and Extroverts

New York Times bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton discuss how to foster effective teams and successful collaboration between introverts and extroverts.

Women Caring for Elderly Parents

By Roberta Satow Ph.D. on December 20, 2017 in Life After 50
Many caregivers decide to have their older relative move in with them. This is a major life decision and should be made cautiously.
Jerry Kiesewetter

How to Make Controversial Decisions According to Research

By Al Pittampalli on December 20, 2017 in Are You Persuadable?
Surpisingly, how you decide, can be just as important as what you decide.

Can You Switch Off?

Does being away from your computer or smart phone leave you feeling anxious and a little out of control? Is our addiction to technology making us happier?

What Lord of the Rings Teaches Us About Comfort Zones

By Andy Molinsky Ph.D. on December 19, 2017 in Adaptation
What Lord of the Rings can teach us about trying something scary
Pexels

A 10 percent Raise or a Great Boss—Which Would You Take?

By Victor Lipman on December 18, 2017 in Mind of the Manager
A new management survey addresses this and other questions, and examines common disconnects between managers and employees.

Why You're Likely To Be Unhappy With Your Job

By Douglas LaBier Ph.D. on December 18, 2017 in The New Resilience
Surveys keep finding chronic unhappiness with work. The usual focus is on managing stress, but ignores the source: An unhealthy management culture.

Scrooge: The Quintessential Controlling Perfectionist

By Alan A. Cavaiola Ph.D. on December 18, 2017 in Beyond Bullying
Could Ebenezer Scrooge have been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder?

Six Steps to Tame Your Impatience

By Marcia Reynolds Psy.D. on December 18, 2017 in Wander Woman
Attention spans are shrinking while impatience is growing. Here are six steps that will help you minimize the damage you might cause as a result of your impatience.

The 12 Office Mishaps of Christmas

By Michael Woodward Ph.D. on December 17, 2017 in Spotting Opportunity
How to avoid spreading a little too much cheer at the office holiday party.
Photo by Kristin Meekhof

5 Ways to Survive Workplace Bullying

By Kristin Meekhof on December 16, 2017 in A Widow's Guide to Healing
Think bullying just happens to students in a classroom? Workplace bullying is a serious problem for adults.

Lessons Learned from the Year of Really Bad Behavior

Hopefully, we can learn how not to behave in 2018 after witnessing the really bad behavior of 2017. Observational learning can go both ways in helping us.

It's Time to Terminate the Term Paper

By Deborah J. Cohan, Ph.D. on December 14, 2017 in Social Lights
A professor speaks out about alternatives to the dreaded term paper.

How to Fight Sexual Misconduct? Write 'em a Ticket!

By Karl Albrecht Ph.D. on December 13, 2017 in BrainSnacks
To quote the actor Bill Murray, in Ghostbusters, "The usual stuff's not working." That's true with the problem of sexual misconduct. Let's try something new—and maybe better.

Establishing an Organizational Culture Through the Net

By Yair Amichai-Hamburger Ph.D. on December 13, 2017 in The Social Net
How can you become a more effective leader in an global organization?