In Your Head
Effects of acetaminophen on risk taking
Alexis Keaveney, Ellen Peters & Baldwin Way
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, July 2020, Pages 725–732
Abstract:
Acetaminophen, an analgesic and antipyretic available over-the-counter and used in over 600 medicines, is one of the most consumed drugs in the USA. Recent research has suggested that acetaminophen’s effects extend to the blunting of negative as well as positive affect. Because affect is a determinant of risk perception and risk taking, we tested the hypothesis that acute acetaminophen consumption (1000 mg) could influence these important judgments and decisions. In three double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, healthy young adults completed a laboratory measure of risk taking (Balloon Analog Risk Task) and in Studies 1 and 2 completed self-report measures of risk perception. Across all studies (total n = 545), acetaminophen increased risk-taking behavior. On the more affectively stimulating risk perception measure used in Study 2, acetaminophen reduced self-reported perceived risk and this reduction statistically mediated increased risk-taking behavior. These results indicate that acetaminophen can increase risk taking, which may be due to reductions in risk perceptions, particularly those that are highly affect laden.
Do open or closed postures boost creative performance? The effects of postural feedback on divergent and convergent thinking
Nicolas Michinov & Estelle Michinov
Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, forthcoming
Abstract:
Can an individual’s body posture (expansive or contractive) affect their creative thinking (divergent or convergent)? Based on embodied cognition and the debate about the impact of nonverbal physical postures expressing power on psychological and behavioral outcomes, five experiments were conducted. We tested the prediction that expansive postures would have a positive effect on creativity tasks that have no right or wrong answer or optimal solution (divergent thinking), whereas contractive postures would have a positive effect on tasks with a right answer or an optimal solution (convergent thinking). As predicted, results revealed a positive effect of expansive postures on performance of creativity tasks requiring divergent thinking, such as producing original ideas (Study 1) or objects, either by combining shapes to create an original toy (Study 2) or by combining fragments to produce an original drawing (Study 3). Conversely, a positive effect of contractive postures was found on performance of insight tasks requiring convergent thinking, in which participants had to associate elements to discover a unifying and correct solution (Study 4) or overcome initial task constraints to find an optimal solution to a problem (Study 5). These findings open up new avenues for research in embodied creativity.
Inter-brain synchrony in teams predicts collective performance
Diego Reinero, Suzanne Dikker & Jay Van Bavel
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, forthcoming
Abstract:
Despite decades of research in economics and psychology attempting to identify ingredients that make up successful teams, neuroscientists have only just begun to study how multiple brains interact. Recent research has shown that people’s brain activity becomes synchronized with others’ (inter-brain synchrony) during social engagement. However, little is known as to whether inter-brain synchrony relates to collective behavior within teams. Here, we merge the nascent field of group neuroscience with the extant literature of team dynamics and collective performance. We recruited 174 participants in groups of 4 and randomly assigned them to complete a series of problem-solving tasks either independently or as a team, while simultaneously recording each person’s brain activity using an EEG hyperscanning setup. This design allowed us to examine the relationship between group identification and inter-brain synchrony in explaining collective performance. As expected, teammates identified more strongly with one another, cooperated more on an economic game, and outperformed the average individual on most problem-solving tasks. Crucially, inter-brain synchrony, but not self-reported group identification, predicted collective performance among teams. These results suggest that inter-brain synchrony can be informative in understanding collective performance among teams where self-report measures may fail to capture behavior.
The face of crime: Apparent happiness differentiates criminal and non-criminal photos
Kennon Sheldon, Mike Corcoran & Jason Trent
Journal of Positive Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
In two studies we tested the hypothesis that observers can accurately distinguish between convicted criminals and matched controls, merely by scrutinizing facial photographs. Based on the Eudaimonic Activity Model, we further hypothesized that criminals and non-criminals differ in their apparent emotional positivity. Finally, based on honest signaling theory, we hypothesized that such emotionality differences can explain observers’ ability to distinguish criminals and non-criminals. In Study 1 participants evaluated photos of people later convicted of crimes, and photos of matched controls. In Study 2 participants evaluated photos of Catholic priests later convicted of sexual offenses, and photos of the priests who replaced them at their parishes. All three hypotheses were supported. Furthermore, in Study 2, participants’ own facial photos were rated by assistants. Consistent with honest signal theories, observer’s facial positivity, as well as their self-rated positive affect, predicted their ability to perceive positive emotions in non-criminal faces.
Facial trustworthiness predicts ingroup inclusion decisions
Ryan Tracy et al.
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Perceivers tend to be reluctant to admit new members into their ingroups — unless there is some potential for prospective group members to provide value to the group. In the present research, we examine the effect of facial trustworthiness on ingroup inclusion decisions. Five studies demonstrate that facial trustworthiness exerts a powerful bottom-up perceptual cue that conveys this necessary “positive information,” resulting in an increased likelihood of ingroup acceptance. This effect was first found for a homogenous sample of White male faces (Study 1), but was also found independent of sex (Study 2), and independent of race (Studies 3a, 3b, & 4), whereby facial trustworthiness influenced inclusion decisions more than salient aspects of group membership (i.e., sex and race).