Futurity.org » personality

Online daters tend to ditch ‘wish lists’

Hilary Hurd Anyaso-Northwestern — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:44:57 +0000

NORTHWESTERN / TEXAS A&M (US) — Online daters are quick to look for a partner that fulfills a wish list of ideal characteristics—but those ideals may go by the wayside once they actually meet in person.

“People have ideas about the abstract qualities they’re looking for in a romantic partner,” says Paul Eastwick, assistant professor of psychology at Texas A&M and lead author of a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “But once you actually meet somebody face to face, those ideal preferences for traits tend to be quite flexible.”

Psychopaths’ words expose predatory mind

Bill Steele-Cornell — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:11:45 +0000

CORNELL (US) — Psychopathic murderers use words that reveal selfishness, detachment, and emotional flatness, according to a new study that used computer analysis to identify speech patterns.

The research, reported online in the journal Legal and Criminological Psychology, could lead to new tools for diagnosis and treatment, and perhaps have applications in law enforcement.

Shy or show-off: It’s not just genetics

George Foulsham-UC Santa Barbara — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:58:51 +0000

UC SANTA BARBARA / UC BERKELEY (US) — What makes one person introverted and another the life of the party? New research suggests social experiences—not just heredity—play a big role.

“The fundamental question of the study is one of origins,” says Aaron Lukaszewski, a postdoctoral scholar at University of California, Berkeley, and the paper’s lead author. “Why do people vary from one another? And why does it seem that some differences are innate—they manifest early and persist over the course of a person’s life?

Misery loves company so be happy

Susan Young-Stanford — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:34:55 +0000

STANFORD (US) — Knowing that others hit rough patches in their personal lives or workplace is a good way to mitigate one’s own melancholy, according to a new study.

Previously, “no one had shown that people systematically underestimate how often others feel sad or upset,” says Benoît Monin, associate professor of organizational behavior and of psychology at Stanford University.

Alcohol, romance: Not always a bad mix

Ellen Goldbaum-Buffalo — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:43:06 +0000

U. BUFFALO (US) — Drinking plays an important and sometimes unexpected role in young people’s relationships, having negative—and perhaps surprisingly—positive effects as well.

“We really can’t make the blanket statements about drinking and romantic relationships that people have come to expect,” says Ash Levitt, postdoctoral fellow at the University at Buffalo.

Light sets bioclock for winter babies

David Salisbury-VU — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:34:37 +0000

VANDERBILT (US) — The season in which babies are born appears to have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function.

A study with baby mice published in the journal Nature Neuroscience is one of the first to confirm seasonal imprinting of biological clocks in mammals. The imprinting effect may help explain the fact that people born in winter months have a higher risk of a number of neurological disorders including seasonal affective disorder (winter depression), bipolar depression, and schizophrenia.

Personality diagnoses get overhaul

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:46:06 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — A new method of categorizing personality disorders could ultimately improve treatment, researchers say.

“We’re proposing a different way of thinking about personality and personality disorders,” says Christopher Hopwood, assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University.

Spouses start out a lot alike

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:42:45 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Contrary to popular belief, married couples do not become more similar over time. A new study suggests people tend to pick their spouse based on shared personality traits.

Details are reported in the latest issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Psychopaths’ brains seek rewards at all costs

Melanie Moran-Vanderbilt — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:22:06 +0000

Abnormalities in how the nucleus accumbens, highlighted here, processes dopamine have been found in individuals with psychopathic traits and may be linked to violent, criminal behavior. These individuals appear to have such a strong draw to reward—to the carrot—that it overwhelms the sense of risk or concern about the stick,” says David Zald. (Credit: Gregory Samanez-Larkin and Joshua Buckholtz)

VANDERBILT (US)—The brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward regardless of the consequences, according to new research.

“Psychopaths are often thought of as cold-blooded criminals who take what they want without thinking about consequences,” says the study’s lead author Joshua Buckholtz, a graduate student in psychology at Vanderbilt University.

Fido or Fluffy: What’s your pet personality?

Tim Green-U. Texas — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:50:26 +0000

“This research suggests there are significant differences on major personality traits between dog people and cat people,” says psychologist Sam Gosling. “Given the tight psychological connections between people and their pets, it is likely that the differences between dogs and cats may be suited to different human personalities.”

U. TEXAS-AUSTIN—Dog people tend to be agreeable extroverts and cat people are more open and neurotic, new research shows.

“There is a widely held cultural belief that the pet species—dog or cat—with which a person has the strongest affinity says something about the individual’s personality,” says Sam Gosling, a University of Texas at Austin psychologist.