Do you focus on the forest or the trees? Whether you have more of a global (holistic) or local (detail-oriented) processing style influences how you fundamentally perceive the world, and it is one of the most prominent factors influencing creative thought.

Beyond your personality, however, situational...

Every business wants workers who passionately love their work. And for good reason: workers who are inspired are more productive, and passion can provide the energy necessary to fuel engagement amidst obstacles and setbacks. But while passion seems clearly desirable, recent psychological research suggests that not all forms are adaptive....

In 2009, Peter Jonason and his colleagues published a study showing that college students scoring high on characteristics known as the "dark triad" (Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism and subclinical psychopathy) tended to report having a higher number of sexual partners as well as more of an interest...

In a recent episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (titled "Palestinian Chicken"), Larry makes a deal with his friend: Larry won't have to pay for the damage he made to his friend's car as long as he tells his friend's critical, nagging wife how annoying it is when she...

IQ tests have received a very large number of criticisms since their inception. One of the main arguments made against the use of IQ tests is that they don't measure creativity. But is this true? Surely creativity involves thoughtful reasoning, divergent production, pattern detection, learning, and other skills tapped into...

"I don't mean to critique on your seduction technique. But ... sick of all your lines, so cheesy." -- Ke$ha

Many of you are probably familiar with the recent controversy surrounding Skepchick Rebecca Watson who, according to Watson, received the following line in an elevator at 4...

Recently, psychologists have stepped outside of the clinical setting and have accumulated research on how the dark side of human nature varies in the general population. What has become quite clear is that the "dark triad," which consists of the combination of Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism and subclinical psychopathy, is an...

This past weekend I saw some truly amazing things. Just walking around the West Village where I live, I saw men of all different shapes and sizes shirtless, in tutus, in dresses, wearing collars, and any combination of those things. I saw women with fascinating hair colors and outfits making...

Just looking at grade school, it's easy to think that physical dominance is the only route to social status. It seems as though bullies who use physical intimidation, coercion and fear-inducing tactics are the ones who rise in the status hierarchy.

Luckily, this isn't the only path to social status,...

Do you think like a polymath? Here's a quick test: are you more of a rational or experiential/intuitive thinker?

If you cringed as you read the question and thought to yourself, "I love constantly shifting between both modes of thought," then you're on the polymath path.

According to psychologist Seymour...

Creativity researchers define creativity as something that is novel and useful. By this definition, Michael Jackson is the epitome of creativity. Jackson's works were certainly novel. He created an entirely new music experience. His glove, jacket, dance and acting all bore the unique stamp that was Michael. And his works...

[This post was co-authored with Jelte Wicherts]

In his well-read blog post, originally titled "Why Black Women Are Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women", psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa from the London School of Economics (LSE) concluded that he had found that African American women were "objectively" less...

Satoshi Kanazawa's controversy regarding his recent Psychology Today article (removed from their site) "Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?" (read about the controversy here) has sparked me to make a point I've wanted to make for a very long time now:

Satoshi...

You're an attractive person in a loving, committed, happy relationship. Still, there is temptation at every turn. At the grocery store, the cute person at the checkout line smiles at you with a raised eyebrow. You strike up a flirtatious conversation, and this person asks for your number. What do...

After watching the show for so long, I get the psychology behind American Idol. Last season, when it came down to the final two, I correctly predicted Lee DeWyze.

This year, I'm going to go out on a bigger limb and predict the winner with three...

Having power and control over your environment, or at the very least perceiving that you have that power and control, is important. Those who feel as though they have little control over their status, aspirations and wealth are prone to depression. On the other hand, those who feel that they...

In the spirit of autism awareness month, I'd like to emphasize that autism is on a spectrum, and, like every other kind of mind, includes both disadvantages and advantages in daily life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unfounded assumptions regarding the deficits of people with an autism spectrum disorder....

You're in a new environment. You don't know anyone. You look around the room and try to size people up. Whom should you talk to? Who is likely to like you? Some people immediately rub you the wrong way. Others seem more attractive. Everyone else at that party is doing...

"Regardless of how erratic, irrational, self-defeating and self-destructive a person's behavior, somewhere in their mixed up mind, it is in the service of self-preservation." --From "Charlie Sheen: What Makes Charlie Run, Crash and Burn... Again"

"The unexamined life is gross." --Socrates

I had the most bizarre experience of...

Books and articles that emphasize the "non-cognitive" determinants of genius and elite performance are all the rage these days. (I put "non-cognitive" in quotes, because the line between "cognitive" and "non-cognitive" traits is much more blurred than popular journalists make out. I'll write more on that in later posts.)

A...