… In the classic 1999 paper, Cornell researchers David Dunning and Justin Kruger found that the less competent people were in three domains — humor, logic, and grammar — the less likely they were to be able to recognize that. Or as the researchers put it: “We propose that those […] Read more »
Twitter Traffic Reflects What People Like on TV, Study Says
Twitter might not be a window into the soul, but it does provide a clear view into what grabs our attention on television, according to new research being published this week. Nielsen, the data company best known for its TV ratings, hooked up about 300 people to brain monitors and […] Read more »
Why People ‘Fly from Facts’
… As public debate rages about issues like immunization, Obamacare, and same-sex marriage, many people try to use science to bolster their arguments. And since it’s becoming easier to test and establish facts—whether in physics, psychology, or policy—many have wondered why bias and polarization have not been defeated. When people […] Read more »
Liberals and conservatives think about genomics in unexpected ways
… If politics doesn’t always explain why some people embrace scientific research and why others are skeptical, then what does? In an article recently published in The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, we find that the answer lies not just in our views on politics […] Read more »
Is the Environment a Moral Cause?
ACCORDING to a recent poll, a large majority of Americans, and roughly half of Republicans, say they support governmental action to address global warming. … How could it be that so many Republicans view global warming as a problem, but so few on the right are pressuring the government to […] Read more »
What Netflix Tells Us About Decision Paralysis
This is how it goes: You crumple into the couch after the hard grind of a workday. You drive your hand into the cushions, retrieve the remote, and automatically bring up the Netflix menu. You scroll through, first Comedies, then Critically-Acclaimed Dramas, then British TV because everyone’s talking about this […] Read more »