Would you help someone in need, and for what reasons?
What is altruism? Altruism is the exact opposite of egoism. It is the selfless, spontaneous, and costly act of giving or helping another individual who shows distress from being in pain or in need, without the expectation of getting something in return. Continue reading
The impact of the neurotransmitter serotonin on the brain functioning is extensive, and the treatment of a number of psychological disorders involves serotonin in some way or another. Continue reading
Posted in Moral, Neuropsychology
Tagged antisocial, fairness, prosocial, serotonin, violence
What can explain a person’s tendency to shop impulsively? Personality, gender, age, and sensitivity to reward may explain it, research shows.
A study by Bratko and colleagues (2013) examined the relationship between personality and impulsive shopping. The study shows that personality can explain at least some of the difference in impulsive shopping behaviour. Continue reading
Posted in Behaviors, Psychology, Self-control, Shopping
Tagged impulsive, impulsivity, personality, research, reward system, shopping, traits
Some people are more sensitive than others.
A study by Aron & Aron (1997) established that some people are highly sensitive because they have a high sensitivity in sensory-processing, which means that they become easily aroused and overwhelmed by external stimuli. Continue reading
How are personality disorders different from clinical syndromes? I have tried to sum up some general, historical assumptions on this issue.
A meta-analysis by Else-Quest and colleagues (2012) examined many of the stereotypes about men’s and women’s emotions. The stereotypes hold that women experience more guilt, shame, and embarrassment, and men typically experience more pride. But is that true? Continue reading
Posted in Personality Psychology
Tagged emotions, feelings, gender roles, mental health, psychopathology, self-esteem, socialization, stereotype
Father and son. How do they look alike?
This article considers a strongly disputed topic in social psychology: the formation of attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes. A new meta-analysis by Degner & Dalege (2013) synthesizes the evidence for the past 60 years, and it is a rather exhaustive analysis that includes 131 studies of over 45,000 parent-child dyads. Continue reading
Body dysmorphic disorder is characterized by unrealistic beauty standards.
A study by Crerand and colleagues (2006) found body dysmorphic disorder to be associated with cosmetic surgery. The study found that 7 to 15 percent of the patients, who undergo a cosmetic surgery, suffer from the disorder, and the study also found that individuals with body dysmorphic disorder don’t benefit from cosmetic surgeries. Continue reading
Posted in Personality Psychology
Tagged beauty, body dysmorphic disorder, personality disorder
My name is Simon Moesgaard. I’m a psychologist from Denmark.
