Social Cognition

Gorillas Have Developed Humanlike Social Structure, Controversial Study Suggests

Finding challenges when complex hierarchies arose in great apes.

Science

The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers

Research suggests we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both our own and others’ wellbeing.

BBC

How to Have Productive Disagreements About Politics and Religion

Research suggests people intuitively draw a distinction between what is known and what is believed. Recognizing the difference can help in ideological disagreements.

The Conversation

People Like You More Than You Know

The common concern that new people may not like us, or that they may not enjoy our company, is largely unfounded.

Illusion Chasers, Scientific American

Toddlers Like Winners, But How They Win Matters

Unlike other primates, human toddlers watching a competition don’t appreciate victors who shove rivals out of the way. Even little kids prefer high-status characters who aren’t bullies.

All Things Considered, NPR

The Mind Is a Difference-Seeking Machine

Mahzarin Banaji is the co-author of Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People and co-founder of Project Implicit, an organization aimed at educating the public on implicit bias.

On Being

Underestimating the Power of Gratitude

Recipients of thank-you letters are more touched than we expect.

British Psychological Society Research Digest

There’s Only One Way to Truly Understand Another Person’s Mind

When we imagine the inner lives of others, we don’t necessarily gain real insight into other people’s minds.

Quartz

Neuroscience and the Roots of Human Connections

Humans work together on enormous scales to build complex tools as large as cities and create social networks that span the globe. What is the key to our success?

World Science Festival

Beware Emotional Robots: Giving Feelings to Artificial Beings Could Backfire, Study Suggests

What happens when the appearance of an artificial intelligence remains the same but its emotions become more humanlike?

Science

The Disturbing Thing Scientists Learned When They Bribed Babies With Graham Crackers

The general results suggest that people are willing to pay personal costs — up to a point — to avoid dealing with immoral or deviant people, the researchers say, and that this behavior begins very young.

Wonkblog, The Washington Post