Psychology & Psychiatry

Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems?

Why do we stick up for a system or institution we live in—a government, company, or marriage—even when anyone else can see it is failing miserably? Why do we resist change even when the system is corrupt or unjust? ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

You can wash away your troubles, with soap

"Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain," goes the song. Is there such a thing as soap and water for the psyche? Yes: Metaphor is that powerful, say Spike W.S. Lee and Norbert Schwarz of the University of Michigan in a ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Like Lance Armstrong, we are all liars, experts say

Although we profess to hate it, lying is common, useful and pretty much universal. It is one of the most durable threads in our social fabric and an important bulwark of our self-esteem. We start lying by the age of 4 and ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Giving preschoolers choice increases sharing behavior

Getting kids to share their toys is a never-ending battle, and compelling them to do so never seems to help. New research suggests that allowing children to make a choice to sacrifice their own toys in order to share with ...

Oncology & Cancer

Single-sex vaccination is most effective at reducing HPV infection

In this week's PLoS Medicine, Johannes Bogaards of VU University, the Netherlands and colleagues use mathematical models to investigate whether vaccinating females only, males only, or both sexes is the best way to achieve ...

Genetics

Shadows over data sharing

In a paper about to be published in EPJ Data Science, Barbara Jasny, deputy editor for commentary at Science magazine in Washington, DC, USA, looks at the history of the debates surrounding data access during and after the ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Evidence discredits aggressive UTI testing in young children

(HealthDay)—Guidelines recommending aggressive testing of young children with fevers for urinary tract infections (UTIs) should be revisited given the lack of evidence and long-term justification, according to research ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Justifying wartime atrocities alters memories

Stories about wartime atrocities and torture methods, like waterboarding and beatings, often include justifications – despite whether the rationale is legitimate.