The present work suggests that self-control relies on glucose as a limited energy source. Laboratory tests of (i.e., the Stroop task, thought suppression, emotion regulation, attention control) and social behaviors helping behavior, coping with thoughts death, stifling prejudice during an interracial interaction) showed (a) acts reduced blood levels, (b) low levels after initial task predicted poor performance subsequent (c) impaired tasks, but consuming drink eliminated these impairments....

Evidence from 6 experiments supports the social reconnection hypothesis, which posits that experience of exclusion increases motivation to forge bonds with new sources potential affiliation. Threat led participants express greater interest in making friends, increase their desire work others, form more positive impressions novel targets, and assign rewards interaction partners. Findings also suggest boundary conditions hypothesis. Excluded individuals did not seem seek specific perpetrators...

Abstract Although researchers are often concerned with the presence of participant demand, few have directly examined effects demand on behavior. Before beginning present study, a confederate informed participants (N = 100) study's purported hypothesis. Participants then performed laboratory task designed to evaluate extent which they would respond in ways that may confirm or disconfirm hypothesis study. The authors found tended confirmed hypothesis, yet this tendency depended attitudes...

Results from 2 experimental studies suggest that self-protection and mate-search goals lead to the perception of functionally relevant emotional expressions in goal-relevant social targets. Activating a goal led participants perceive greater anger Black male faces (Study 1) Arab 2), both out-groups heuristically associated with physical threat. In Study 2, participants' level implicit Arab-threat associations moderated this bias. male, but not female, more sexual arousal attractive...

Often people are faced with conflict between prosocial motivations for helping and selfish impulses that favor not helping. Three studies tested the hypothesis self-regulation is useful managing such motivational conflicts. In each study, depleted self-regulatory energy reduced willingness to help others. Participants who broke a habit, relative participants followed later reported in hypothetical scenarios (e.g., donating food or money; Studies 1 3). Controlling attention while watching...

Social exclusion can thwart people's powerful need for social belonging. Whereas prior studies have focused primarily on how influences complex and cognitively downstream outcomes (e.g., memory, overt judgments behavior), the current research examined basic, early-in-the-cognitive-stream consequences of exclusion. Across 4 experiments, threat increased selective attention to smiling faces, reflecting an attunement signs acceptance. Compared with nonexcluded participants, participants who...

Throughout human history, leaders have been responsible for helping groups attain important goals. Ideally, use their power to steer toward desired outcomes. However, can also in the service of self-interest rather than effective leadership. Five experiments identified factors within both person and social context that determine whether wield promote group goals versus self-interest. In most cases, behaved a manner consistent with when was tenuous due instability hierarchy, high (but not...

In 3 experiments, mating primes interacted with functionally relevant individual differences to guide basic, lower order social perception. A visual cuing method assessed biases in attentional adhesion--a tendency have one's attention captured by particular stimuli. Mate-search increased adhesion physically attractive members of the opposite sex (potential mates) among participants an unrestricted sociosexual orientation but not sexually restricted (Studies 1 and 2). mate-guarding prime own...

To investigate the existence of true altruism, authors assessed link between empathic concern and helping by (a) employing an experimental perspective-taking paradigm used previously to demonstrate empathy-associated (b) assessing empathy-helping relationship while controlling for a range relevant, well-measured nonaltruistic motivations. Consistent with previous research, found significant zero-order concern, purported motivator altruism. This disappeared, however, when motivators (oneness...

Across 5 experimental studies, the authors explore selective processing biases for physically attractive others. The findings suggest that (a). both male and female observers selectively attend to targets, (b). limiting attentional capacity of either gender results in biased frequency estimates females, (c). although females males, females' does not lead (d). genders exhibit enhanced recognition memory but attenuated males. Results different mating-related motives may guide men women.

People often find it more difficult to distinguish ethnic out-group members compared with in-group members. A functional approach social cognition suggests that this bias may be eliminated when display threatening facial expressions. In the present study, 192 White participants viewed Black and faces displaying either neutral or angry expressions later attempted identify previously seen faces. Recognition accuracy for showed homogeneity bias, but was entirely Indeed, participants' cognitive...

Abstract Findings from the current study suggest that link between helping and empathic concern—a hypothesized motivator of altruistic behavior—may be more pronounced in context kinship relationships than among strangers. Participants expressed their willingness to help a kin‐member or stranger specific need situations. Putative mediators (empathic concern, general negative affect, perceptions oneness) were measured. Empathic concern appeared partially mediate effects relationship on help....

Adaptationist models of human mating provide a useful framework for identifying subtle, biologically based mechanisms influencing cross-gender social interaction. In line with this framework, the current studies examined extent to which olfactory cues female ovulation--scents women at peak their reproductive fertility--influence endocrinological responses in men. Men smelled T-shirts worn by near ovulation or far from (Studies 1 and 2) control not anyone (Study 2). exposed scent an ovulating...

Two experiments suggest that the experience of power can interact with a person's level motivation to produce effects on risky decision making. In Study 1, assignment position increased risk taking among participants low levels but reduced high motivation. 2, in again made more conservative decisions, only under circumstances which dominance hierarchy was unstable and there potential for losing their power. When irrevocable participants' choices had no bearing ability retain power, both...

Across 6 studies, factors signaling potential vulnerability to harm produced a bias toward outgroup categorization--a tendency categorize unfamiliar others as members of an rather than one's ingroup. Studies 1 through 4 demonstrated that White participants were more likely targets Black (as opposed White) when those displayed cues heuristically associated with threat (masculinity, movement the perceiver, and facial expressions anger). In Study 5, who felt chronically vulnerable interpersonal...

Dominance and prestige represent evolved strategies used to navigate social hierarchies. is a strategy through which people gain maintain rank by using coercion, intimidation, power. Prestige displaying valued knowledge skills earning respect. The current article synthesizes recent lines of research documenting differences between dominance- versus prestige-oriented individuals, including personality traits emotions, strategic behaviors deployed in interactions, leadership strategies,...

The behavioral immune system is designed to promote the detection and avoidance of potential sources disease. Whereas previous studies have provided insight into types heuristic cues used identify disease carriers, present research provides an understanding basic psychological processes involved in those cues. Across 4 studies, feeling vulnerable disease, whether that stemmed from dispositional tendencies or situational primes, facilitated a overperception bias--a tendency overperceive...