Society Archives

Holy Fool: Who He Is + the Dangers of Knowing the Truth

Being able to detect lies seems like an unequivocal good. The Russian archetype of the Holy Fool demonstrates the benefits of being able to see the truth of a situation. Who is the Holy Fool? The Holy Fool is typically an eccentric character, sometimes even a crazy one, who has access to truths that other characters don’t have access to. The Holy Fool can be seen particularly in Russian stories and those by Hans Christian Anderson, such as “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In modern times, the “Holy Fool” in society is often a whistleblower. We’ll cover the attributes of the

Do Facial Expressions in Different Cultures Mean the Same Thing?

Do people make the same facial expressions in different cultures? More importantly, do they mean the same thing? We’ll cover one study that indicates that facial expressions in different cultures do not indicate the same feelings. Learn why you can never make assumptions about how people feel based on their faces, especially people from different cultural backgrounds.

Alcohol Myopia Theory: How Drinking Narrows Your Perspective

What is alcohol myopia theory? Why do you tend to get really focused on, even obsessed with, one thing when you’re drunk? What are the negative consequences of alcohol myopia? Alcohol myopia is a state in which the drinker’s mental and emotional field of vision becomes narrow. This can cause the drinker to fail to take in the context of a situation and to make short-sighted decisions. We’ll cover what alcohol myopia theory says about what alcohol does to our decision-making abilities and look at the problems with alcohol myopia.

Word Stem Completion Task: What It Is, How It Reveals Bias

What is a word stem completion task? Is the way you complete it indicative of your personality? And what do answers to that question say about your bias against strangers? We’ll look at how the word stem completion task works, whether your answers to the task are random, and how your assessment of the task can reveal your biases.

Memory Loss from Drinking—Why It Happens, Why It’s Dangerous

Why do people experience memory loss from drinking? What’s happening in the brain? What are the consequences? The effects of alcohol on memory are startling. At a blood-alcohol level of approximately 0.15, the hippocampus shuts down entirely. At that point, all memories disappear completely and there is nothing to recall. Even in this state of total blackout, when the hippocampus is entirely shut down, it is possible for the drinker to continue to function like a “normal” drunk person. In fact, it can be impossible to tell when someone else has reached the point of blackout. Learn more about drinking and

What Happened to Sandra Bland? Malcolm Gladwell’s Answer

What happened to Sandra Bland? What events led up to death in jail? Who’s to blame? The police officer? The justice system? Our society as a whole? We’ll cover Malcolm Gladwell’s answer to the question, What happened to Sandra Bland?, from his book Talking to Strangers. Learn why Gladwell thinks the death of Sandra Bland was the tragic result of common misreadings of strangers.

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: Is It Working?

What was the Kansas City preventive patrol experiment? Why was it so groundbreaking? Why have we failed to replicate it successfully across the country? We’ll cover what the Kansas City experiment was, how it used the theory of coupled behaviors, or coupling theory, and why it was so successful. Then, we’ll look at why it hasn’t been particularly successful in other parts of the country.

Truth-Default Theory—Why You Assume Strangers Tell the Truth

What is Truth-Default Theory? Why do we tend to assume the best in people, and is this evolutionarily beneficial? Truth-Default Theory is the theory that when a stranger is lying, human beings default to assuming truth in others. We want to believe that what others tell us is true, and we’ll default to truth unless, or until, our doubts can’t be explained or rationalized. We’ll cover the primary reason that most people cannot immediately identify a lie, and how the Truth-Default Theory may actually be an evolutionary advantage.

Coupling Theory—Surprising Ways Context Alters Your Behavior

What is coupling theory? How do some of our most unconscious behaviors impact others? Coupling theory is the idea that some behaviors are “coupled”–a behavior is linked to a specific context. A person’s behavior is affected by his personal history and environment. We’ll cover the coupling theory as it relates to suicide rates and also discuss how context impacts behavior more generally.

Brock Turner Case: Is It More Nuanced Than You Think?

The Brock Turner case outraged many. Should Brock Turner have received a harsher penalty for sexual assault? More time behind bars? Were there any nuances to the Brock Turner case? While many people have strong opinions about the Brock Turner case, Malcolm Gladwell thinks it’s not so simple. Learn the many ambiguities in the Brock Turner case, according to Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers.