Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Professor Refutes Groupthink, Proving That Wisdom of Crowds Can Prevail

Anyone following forecasting polls leading up to the 2016 election likely believed Hillary Clinton would become the 45th president of the United States. Although this opinion was the consensus among most political-opinion leaders and media, something clearly went wrong with these prediction tools.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn study finds showing empathy can sometimes do harm

Last month, as the clip of Jimmy Kimmel describing the frightening ordeal of his newborn son, who was born with a congenital heart disease, went viral, many parents likely shared a similar sentiment: “What if that were my child?”

Katherine Unger Baillie

Two Types of Empathy Elicit Different Health Effects, Penn Psychologist Shows

When a close friend shares bad news, our instinct is to help. But putting ourselves in a friend’s shoes, imagining how we would feel if we were the one suffering, may have detrimental effects on our own health, according to a new study led by the University of Pennsylvania’s Anneke E. K. Buffone.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Doctoral Student Probes the Secrets of Ancient Carbon in Tropical Soils

Soil holds the largest terrestrial pool of carbon on the planet, with tropical soils containing the most carbon of any type. Activities that cause soil to release its hold on this carbon can thus increase levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and augment the effects of climate change.

Katherine Unger Baillie