Psychology in Action

Tag: social psychology

  • iLoveYou, iLoveYouNot: The Psychology of Online Dating & Romantic Relationships

    When I first saw the movie “You’ve Got Mail” at the ripe old age of 8, the idea of developing a relationship through online chatrooms seemed novel, unconventional and even…creepy? Fast-forward 15 years later, where one in ten people are using an online dating website, and much of the stigma associated with this activity has declined.…

  • Dating on TV and the Misattribution of Arousal

    why do the romances that start out so hot and heavy on TV fizzle out once the cameras stop rolling?

  • Weighing in on Weight Stigma: Obesity Stigma Symposium at UCLA

    The prevalence of adult obesity in the United States has nearly doubled since 1980, and over two-thirds of American adults are currently overweight or obese. Weight bias (stereotyping or discrimination directed at an individual related to his/her weight) is prevalent in modern American society, and overweight individuals experience weight bias from a range of sources,…

  • Women in science: Yes we can!

    Women in science: Yes we can!

    The cover of my statistics text book features a diagram depicting the relation among sex, time since obtaining a doctorate degree, number of publications, and citations on salary. I haven’t formally learned about structural equation modeling just yet, but nonetheless found it rather discouraging for women. In hopes of being potentially proven wrong, I read…

  • “Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability” Symposium – May 16, 4pm

    “Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability” Symposium – May 16, 4pm

    Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability Psychology in Action is proud to announce the third annual Psychology Interdisciplinary Events symposium, Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability, to be held Friday, May 16th, 2014, from 4 to 6pm in UCLA’s CNSI Auditorium.  The discussion will focus on legal and psychological issues regarding mens rea.  The…

  • Feeling the Love [Hormone]: the Oxytocin Receptor

    Feeling the Love [Hormone]: the Oxytocin Receptor

    Oxytocin has gotten a lot of hype as the biological basis of our favorite human emotion, Love. Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary gland. The oxytocin system is involved in HPA axis and autonomic nervous system functions as well as reproductive functions and social behaviors.  We are coming…

  • Social Facilitation and Food: Your Friends are Bigger than Your Stomach

    Social Facilitation and Food: Your Friends are Bigger than Your Stomach

    In the 21st century, many people still attribute their eating behavior primarily to factors such as hunger and taste. However, research on the psychology of eating indicates that the social presence and behavior of others can also have an enormous impact on food consumption.

  • How to Change the World

    If you enter the world of research, there will come a time when you’re talking about your studies at a party and you suddenly realize that no one cares. If you’re lucky, this will happen before you’ve been in academia for 10 years and published 30 papers that 5 of your closest friends have read.…

  • Woody Allen’s Latest Film Explores the Intersection of Mental Illness and Social Status

    Woody Allen’s Latest Film Explores the Intersection of Mental Illness and Social Status

    Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine is a wrenching and thought-provoking film that finds the legendary auteur taking on very atypical material.

  • Graduate Program Interviews: Social Psychology

    Graduate Program Interviews: Social Psychology

    This post is part of an ongoing series about applicant interview weekends in Psychology departments. Check back for posts about interviews in other areas of Psychology, and visit our Careers in Psychology section. This post was written by social psychology graduate students who recently (and successfully) went through the process of applying, interviewing for, and selecting…