February 8, 2008

People who feel sad and self-focused spend more money to acquire the same commodities than those in a neutral emotional state, U.S. researchers say.

February 8, 2008

How you are feeling has an impact on your routine economic transactions, whether you’re aware of this effect or not. In a new study that links contemporary science with the classic philosophy of William James, a research team finds that people feeling sad and self-focused spend more money to acquire the same commodities than those in a neutral emotional state.

May 14, 2007

Accountability is in the air in Washington.

An unspoken assumption -- shared by those in government, the press and the public -- is that accountability is always a good thing. Holding people's feet to the fire, the thinking goes, improves decision making and integrity. Ultimately, accountability supposedly leads to soul-searching, introspection and better policymaking.

A growing body of psychological experiments, however, shows that this assumption is wrong.

September 2005

"LONDONERS will not be divided by this cowardly attack…Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail," London Mayor Ken Livingstone told the terrorists on 7 July. The following day the Queen said: "Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life." But is it realistic to expect "business as usual" under the shadow of a terrorist threat? Can psychology explain why some react to terrorist outrages with defiance while others admit their fear, swapping the Tube for a bicycle?