a psychologist's blog – research and ideas to digest
The human brain is sophisticated. In fact, it separates us from all other animals. It allows us to have abstract ideas and to solve complex problems. We are rational social beings, or are we?
New experimental research by Kouchaki & Smith (2014), published in Psychological Science in January, shows that people are more likely to act ethically and to overcome temptation in the morning than later in the day. The authors refer to it as the morning morality effect.
When we think of people with a high self-control, we cannot avoid thinking about how restrained and deprived they might be. Whenever we restrain ourselves, we tend to think that we are missing something.
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.