The Usefulness of Our Delusions
Rather than seek to annihilate self-deception, a better goal would be to think carefully about what it does, and ask ourselves how we can work with it.
Commentary
“Natural Is Better”: How the Appeal To Nature Fallacy Derails Public Health
People tend to see “natural” as a cue for “safe.” This fallacy is a component of vaccine resistance—but we may be able to flip this inclination to encourage uptake.
Poorly Run Labs Are a Threat to Behavioral Science, But Democratic Principles Offer a Way Forward
Labs with stark power imbalances harm those lower on the academic hierarchy and fail to produce good science. Decoupling power from expertise can help fix broken models of producing research.
Cooperators, Crusaders, and the Complicit: The Trinity of Religious Moral Character
Psychologists have long wondered whether religion makes us more or less moral. The answer is more complicated than it might seem.
To Scale Behavior Change: Target Early Adopters, Then Leverage Social Proof and Social Pressure
How do you change behavior when the stakes are high and rewards uncertain? For a group fostering sustainable farming in Colombia, the key was understanding who was resistant and why, then tapping into social proof and social pressure at the right times.
A New Way to Inoculate People Against Misinformation
A new set of online games holds promise for helping identify and prevent harmful misinformation from going viral.