Texting daily with a random human peer is more effective at reducing loneliness than texting with a highly supportive chatbot.
Next time you feel lonely reach out to a human, any human.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Come see my poster! I’ll be discussing my dissertation studies examining the effect of changing norms and demographics on belonging for advantaged groups. 1:30 in the Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Precon! #SPSP2026
🚨 New paper! Think of a place you feel deeply attached to. When you're in that place, do you feel like your life is more meaningful? New work from @ashleykrause.bsky.social suggests you probably do!
Just accepted at Journal of Environmental Psychology, we find places can give our life meaning 🧵
📊 Sometimes belonging comes down to a checkbox. Our new paper in PSPB led by Brenda Straka finds that the way Latino identity is formatted on demo forms, especially the traditional two-question census format, can subtly undermine feelings of inclusion and belonging
news.illinois.edu/study-demogr...
New short out this week 🤗.
When in solitude, our attention tends to turn inward. Social life provides structure for many people’s daily activities, so when we are alone that structure is reduced, freeing spaces for thoughts and emotions. Then, what happens next? m.youtube.com/shorts/QpsVg...
"Our analyses highlight that the United States and other English-speaking countries are not the most individualist cultures in the world...Instead, Northwest European countries rank highest on measures of individualism."
New work by @pakaliyski.bsky.social et al.
dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp...
New paper with Esha Naidu and Emmy Reilly! As U.S. campuses grow more diverse, what really matters isn’t just who is on campus—it’s how universities shape interactions. Randomized roommates when supported with institutional backing can strengthen belonging
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
The merits of undergraduate student samples
Comment by Jennifer M. Talarico
go.nature.com/48U6Pg4
New paper alert!
"Public Speakers With Nonnative Accents Garner Less Engagement" -- now out in Psych Science!
This is my first graduate student's first first-author paper (and it was her first-year project).
Short THREAD on the results:
Great article about the psychology of guilty pleasures by my colleague @jjtogans.bsky.social at Lafayette College! 🎉
psyche.co/ideas/guilty...
Struggling to find peer reviewed evidence in support of spending all of your money on going to festivals and gigs? Let us help... doi.org/10.1002/casp...
w/ @profjohndrury.bsky.social @hannaeldarwish.bsky.social Danielle Evans, Fiona Green
Do your hands talk when you do? 🗣️✋
Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.
trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Flyer with text reading, “Calling Autistic Adults! “Want to help shape research on loneliness for autistic young adults? “We invite autistic adults (ages 18-35) to join our Community Council on a 5-year research study on how big life changes affect loneliness for autistic young adults. “Community Council members will partner with researchers to make sure that all parts of the research reflect the experiences, priorities, and needs of the autistic community. “We hope this research will lead to a better understanding of loneliness and help create better supports. “• Community partners meet regularly and are paid for their time. “• No prior research experience is needed. “• Your lived experience and perspective are what matter most, and all voices are valued. “For more info or to apply, email kc3673@drexel.edu”
Want to help with autism research? The Social Experiences of Loneliness of Autistic Adults (SELA) Project at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute is forming a Community Council of autistic adults (ages 18–35) to help guide a 5-year study on loneliness and social connection. Info in flyer and alt-text.
Some @theguardian.com coverage! Women use exclamation marks 3x more than men—not from extra joy, but to avoid sounding unfriendly 😬 Online, neutrality reads as hostility, so warmth is outsourced to punctuation!! BUT it boosts likability and can hurt credibility
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Ambitious new study finally out! 🚨 Here’s the lightning version. bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
New research finds that conservatives tended to endorse moral absolutism, whereas liberals tend to endorse moral relativism.
Moral absolutists are more likely to support banning practices they deem immoral psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...
It is often assumed that conformity is higher in collectivist cultures. In our new study that just came out in JCCP, we show that emotional conformity is actually higher in individualistic cultures, replicating earlier findings across 28 nations journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Two young people sitting on the floor against a yellow backdrop, dressed casually in denim and plaid shirts.
🤔New research highlights a persuasion paradox: using many arguments can make a person seem more like an expert, increasing persuasion, but it can also make them appear to have greater persuasive intent, decreasing persuasion.
Read more in #PSPB: ow.ly/1u2Q50X2erC
had a ton of fun working on this poll with @today.yougov.com about the songs that everybody knows the lyrics to, the generational anthems are super neat
www.numlock.com/p/numlock-su...
To prevent Ps from pasting (GPT-generated) responses to your text entry Qualtrics question, disable pasting.
Add this code to the OnReady section of your question's javascript:
jQuery("#"+this.questionId+" .InputText").on("cut copy paste",function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
});
Enjoy!
That's because newer music sounds like shit.
The older we get, the fewer favorite songs we have, study shows. Via @sciencex.physorg #sociology #Music 🎵📻🎼🎧🎙️
Do you sometimes feel torn when making decisions, like whether to eat unhealthy food or recycle? This is called felt ambivalence: a psychological discomfort from having mixed feelings about something. Check out our new work to know how people resolve such conflicts: doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 🧠💥 1/10
Bottom line: Tightness mattered for mask use during the Covid pandemic (and after!). Tightness is a characteristic of cultures AND situations. Both matter. Mask use could explain why tight cultures had fewer deaths on average: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... @sagepublishing.bsky.social
Should you text or meet face-to-face to have a conversation? Our research shows greater benefits when talking in-person. If it is necessary to text, have more intimate conversation when possible.
New paper lead by @cmleckfor.bsky.social is out in @josoperrel.bsky.social now: doi.org/10.1177/0265...
Did I finish all my summer research? No.
But did I get a jump on new projects? Also, no.
BUT: am I ready for the semester to begin next week? Extremely no
In a study of naturally occurring ostracism experiences: After experiencing ostracism, people initially prioritize withdrawal and prosocial coping responses. Prosocial responses increase overtime. Anti-social responses were relatively rare
journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
📣 New registered report in @nathumbehav.nature.com with Ivan Soraperra, @jonathanschulz.bsky.social, and Shaul Shalvi: rdcu.be/eAcMA
With data from 7,978 participants in 20 countries, we find that information about negative externalities promotes prosociality, especially in guilt-prone individuals.
As always, Ted Chiang is great in this interview.
cdh.princeton.edu/blog/2025/08...
