Psychology | Penn Today

Small incentives drive lasting seatbelt habits, cut unbuckled trips by a third

Research from the Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Medicine’s Nudge Unit that incentivized drivers of connected cars with reward money to build and maintain seatbelt habits shows promise for promoting safer, consistent buckling behavior.

2 min. read

Is art appreciation going digital?

Anjan Chatterjee of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues compared aesthetic experiences of art across digital and in-person settings.

Angela Duckworth lecturing a class with a white board.

A simple way to boost math progress

Researchers from Penn’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative and their collaborators conducted a megastudy to investigate whether low-cost nudges–informed by behavioral science–could help teachers accelerate student progress in math.

3 min. read

The enormity of small talk as an introvert

A 2013 study by Adam Grant of the Wharton School presented a fresh perspective on the personality traits that facilitate success.

Eggs are scarce. These people don’t miss them

Eggs have been heavily researched, but, says Paul Rozin of the School of Arts & Sciences, “as far as I know, no one’s studied the psychology of eating eggs.”

How small talk opens up deeper connections

Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication explains how small talk establishes a brain “synchrony” that allows for more meaningful exchanges.

Dolores Albarracín honored with BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award

Albarracín, a PIK Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and School of Arts & Sciences, is being recognized for increasing “our understanding of how attitudes can be changed, particularly with regard to persuasive messages.”

These two personality traits make you instantly more attractive, say studies of over 4,000 people

A study by postdoc Natalia Kononov of the Wharton School suggests that kindness and helpfulness can make someone more attractive, regardless of the situation or relationship.

Give ‘lemonading’ a shot if you’re going through a tough time right now

Nora Brier of the Perelman School of Medicine says that spending time talking to others can help people get out of their own head and bring them back to a neutral state.

Life got you down? Experts suggest ‘lemonading’

Nora Brier of the Perelman School of Medicine recommends acting opposite to emotions of sadness when those feelings have been present for a long time.

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