By Melanie Tannenbaum for Scientific American One of the most important ways that we learn how to interact with the world around us is through observational learning. By watching how our friends and family members behave, we learn at a very young age how to do things like turn on a lightbulb, open a door,…
Read MoreSmiling People May be Less Likely to be Judged by Their Gender or Race
By Bahar Gholipour and David Freeman for Huffington Post Could something as simple as a smile put an end to racist and sexist first impressions? Probably not. But a new study published in the August issue of the journal Motivation and Emotion suggests that when people smile, strangers may be less likely to judge them…
Read MoreThe Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
With the Rio Olympic Games coming to an end and the Paralympic Games starting September 7th, we can learn a lot about human behavior by studying the pinnacle of sporting events. From the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat, we’ve seen a wide range of human emotions that connects us all. As the…
Read MoreEmotions in the Olympics
What drives Olympic athletes’ emotions? SF State psychologist and Humintell Director David Matsumoto answer this question explains the science behind an athlete’s “victory stance” in the video below. For more on Emotions, Sports and Critical Thinking, view this past blog post.