Why The Media Seems Biased When You Care About The Issue

Reading News

Research shows both pro-Arabs and pro-Israelis watching the same news reports think it is biased against their own side.

The media may well be biased, in fact it would be a miracle if it were permanently and perfectly balanced, that isn't what this post is about.

Instead this is about how you and I perceive the presence or absence of bias in the media.

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Recruitment Closed: Online Expressive Writing Study

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Update: Thanks for your interest in this study but recruitment is now closed.
  • Are you currently feeling a little under the weather, fed up or stressed?
  • Do you live in the United Kingdom?
  • Are you over 18?
  • Would you be interested in participating in an expressive writing study?

If so, read on...

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Why We Love Narcissists (At First)

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Paradoxically we initially like narcissists more because of their exploitative, entitled behaviour—but it doesn't last long.

Despite being self-absorbed, arrogant, entitled and exploitative, narcissists are also fascinating.

And not just from a clinical perspective; the research finds that we are strangely drawn to their self-centred personalities, their dominance and their hostility, their sensitivity and their despair, at least for a while.

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10 More Brilliant Social Psychology Studies: Why Smart People Do Dumb or Irrational Things

Which is your favourite social psychology study?

Over the last 7 months I've been exploring 10 more of my favourite social psychology studies, each with an insightful story to tell about how our minds work. This follows on from an article I wrote two years ago (10 brilliant social psychology studies).

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The 7 Psychological Principles of Scams: Protect Yourself by Learning the Techniques

How hustlers trick 3.2 million people each year in the UK into handing over £3.5 billion.

Good hustlers are excellent intuitive psychologists. Just like magicians they understand enough about how the mind works to exploit its vulnerabilities. Our fascination with hustlers is insatiable and, despite being criminals, they are frequently portrayed by Hollywood in a flattering light, in films like The Sting, Catch Me If You Can and the Ocean's Eleven trilogy.

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Cheating: Does Deindividuation Encourage It?

Classic social psychology experiment on Halloween shows how groups, anonymity, modelling and shifting of responsibility encourage people to cheat.

People will cheat for all sort of different reasons in all sorts of different ways — in love, in their finances and at work — but social psychologists are particularly interested in the general features of situations in which people cheat.

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Stereotypes: Why We Act Without Thinking

Three classic experiments show how stereotypes can influence our behaviour without our knowledge.

Despite their bad name, stereotypes can be handy short cuts that give us useful information about the world and other people. For example the stereotype of psychologists is that they are going to analyse you, then start meddling. There's certainly some truth to that, after all that is their job.

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