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Facebook Helps Researchers See How Friendships Form

By Guest PostDecember 21, 2011Culture, Technologyadvertising, basic building blocks, classical, diffusion, emotional health, Facebook, friends, friendship, harvard university, influence, internet, internet and society, internet relationships, jason kaufman, jazz, kevin lewis, marco gonzalez, mechanisms, national science foundation, network, obesity, online social network, patterns of social segregation, relationships, reproduction of inequality, role, society, sociologists, statistical methods

*Long-term study analyzes social selection and peer influence in online environments*

New research funded by the National Science Foundation and published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by three Harvard University sociologists examines how we select our friends and the role that friendship plays in transmitting tastes and new ideas.

Relationships are basic building blocks of society, and understanding who befriends whom can therefore provide insight into patterns of social segregation, mechanisms for the reproduction of inequality, social support (including mental and emotional health), and access to job opportunities. Some have even viewed these relationships as a means to influence behavior whether to control obesity or target advertising. But is it really that easy, even on the Internet, to make friends with people who have different cultural upbringings, different interests, different backgrounds and different tastes in movies, music and books? (more…)

Who’s More Likely to offer a Bribe?

By Guest PostOctober 8, 2011Culturebribery, business person, collective feeling, collectivist cultures, corruption, kurt kleiner, laboratory, nina mazar, pankaj aggarwal, researchers, society, university of toronto scarborough, utsc

*U of T professors show collectivism and bribery linked*

Why are some places more prone to bribery and corruption than others?

Part of the answer seems to be the level of collective feeling in a society, according to research by Pankaj Aggarwal, University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) professor of marketing in the Department of Management, and Nina Mazar, University of Toronto professor of marketing. (more…)

Beautiful People Are Happier, Economists Find

By Guest PostApril 3, 2011CultureBritain, canada, daniel hamermesh, economic benefits, Germany, good looking people, happier, impact on economic outcomes, iza, jason abrevaya, personal beauty, society, study of labor, u s, unattractive

AUSTIN, Texas — Good-looking people are generally happier than their plain looking or unattractive counterparts, largely because of the higher salaries, other economic benefits and more successful spouses that come with beauty, according to new research from economists at The University of Texas at Austin.

This holds true for both men and women and across different cultures, authors Daniel Hamermesh and Jason Abrevaya report in their paper “‘Beauty is the Promise of Happiness’?,” [PDF] which they are releasing to economists this week. The paper is posted at https://ftp.iza.org/dp5600.pdf [PDF], the Web site for the German-based Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). (more…)

Am I Safe Here?: How People With HIV/AIDS Perceive Hidden Prejudices in Their Communities

By Guest PostMarch 7, 2011Culture, Healthacts of discrimination, blatant discrimination, carol miller, disclosure concerns, hiv positive people, internally motivated, janice bunn, kristin grover, marginalized groups, new englanders, paranoid, people, politically correct, prejudiced, racial minorities, society, sondra solomon, stereotyping, subtle clues

People in marginalized groups, such as the disabled or racial minorities, feel stigmatized—condemned, feared, or excluded—when other people stigmatize them. That’s obvious. But they can also feel stigma when nobody blatantly discriminates against them or says a negative word.

These folks aren’t paranoid, suggests a new study of HIV-positive people and their communities to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association of Psychological Science. Rather, they’re picking up subtle clues from their communities. (more…)

Tag Archives: society

Facebook Helps Researchers See How Friendships Form

Who’s More Likely to offer a Bribe?

Beautiful People Are Happier, Economists Find

Am I Safe Here?: How People With HIV/AIDS Perceive Hidden Prejudices in Their Communities