When women and men raise their voices together in the workplace, managers are more likely to support gender equity issues, such as equal pay for equal work. That’s the finding of a new paper from a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin. In a recent study, Insiya Hussain, an assistant professor of management at...
Culture
Erotophilia and Sexual Sensation–seeking Are Good Predictors of Engagement with Sex Robots
Simon Dubé’s study examines the personality traits of people who are more willing to experiment with erobotics Advances in technology, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), are impacting our everyday lives in ever more ways — including our sex lives. Sex robots — life-size, lifelike machines powered by AI and used for sexual purposes — are...
Stop Using ‘Latinx’ If You Really Want to Be Inclusive
Most of the debates on the usage of “Latinx” – pronounced “la-teen-ex” – have taken place in the U.S. But the word has begun to spread into Spanish-speaking countries – where it hasn’t exactly been embraced. In July 2022, Argentina and Spain released public statements banning the use of Latinx, or any gender-neutral variant. Both governments reasoned...
Burning Man Highlights the Primordial Human Need for Ritual
At the end of each summer, hordes of people flock to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada to erect a makeshift city the size of the Italian town of Pisa. They call it Black Rock City. A few days later, they will burn it to the ground, leaving no trace. During their time together, they partake in...
Why It’s Important to Think About Social Media Use as a Form of Dissociation, Rather Than Addiction
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had an unfortunate Saturday routine. I would wake up in my studio apartment and immediately turn to my phone, telling myself that I would get breakfast after quickly checking Twitter. An hour or so later, I would look up and realize what time it was –...
Best FIFA Men’s Player Award Appears to Be Biased by Cultural Similarity
A new analysis of voting data for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)’s World’s Best Male Football Player Award suggests that cultural similarity between voters and players biases results. Michael Johnson and Ian McCarthy of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, present these findings in PLOS ONE. Earlier studies have shown that industry-wide awards—such...
Delaying Gratification: How Do Children React to Waiting in Different Cultures?
Overcoming impulses to enjoy here-and-now rewards in order to attain later benefits is fundamental to achieving goals. Such delaying of gratification is often measured by the well-known “marshmallow task” in which children must resist the urge to enjoy one treat now in order to get more treats later. Individual differences in this task predict important...
How Race, Gun Ownership, and Black Lives Matter Shape Americans’ Views of the January 6 Capitol Attack
A new survey shows Americans’ view of the January 6 Capitol attack can be predicted by their opinions on social movements, such as Black Lives Matter, but not as much by someone’s race or whether they own a gun except when the two are looked at together. The new study, based on a long-running survey of...
Roe V. Rap: Hip-Hop Artists Have Long Wrestled with Reproductive Rights
Hip-hop culture is often recognized as being born on Aug. 11, 1973. That was about seven months after Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that protected the right to choose to have an abortion. Accordingly, reproductive rights have long been part of the discourse in rap music, which has always sought to hold a mirror...
Where the Witches Were Men: A Historian Explains What Magic Looked Like in Early Modern Russia
The word “witches” makes many Americans think of women working in league with the devil. But that hasn’t always been the face of sorcery. Most of Catholic and Protestant Europe embraced the idea of magic as a satanic craft practiced by women, and strong, independent women were kept in line through such accusations. In Orthodox...