Norway, 2016: Higher income transparency increased the happiness gap between rich & poor by 29% & the life satisfaction gap by 21%. Also, higher income transparency corrected misperceptions about the income distribution and changed preferences for redistribution.

Perez-Truglia, Ricardo, The Effects of Income Transparency on Well-Being: Evidence from a Natural Experiment (February 10, 2016). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2657808

Abstract: In 2001, Norwegian tax records became easily accessible online, allowing individuals to observe the incomes of others. Because of self-image and social-image concerns, higher income transparency can increase the differences in well-being between rich and poor. We test this hypothesis using survey data from 1985-2013. We identify the causal effect of income transparency on subjective well-being by using differences-in-differences, triple-differences, and event-study analyses. We find that higher income transparency increased the happiness gap between rich and poor by 29% and the life satisfaction gap by 21%. Additionally, higher income transparency corrected misperceptions about the income distribution and changed preferences for redistribution. Last, we use the estimates for back-of-the-envelope calculations of the value of self-image and social-image.

Keywords: self-image, social-image, happiness, life satisfaction, income comparisons, relative income, disclosure policy

JEL Classification: D03, D60, D31, D80, I31, K34, Z10

Past focus is generally maladaptive in terms of work and life outcomes such as depression; present focus increases life satisfaction, but correlates with impulsive behaviors; future focus is more cognitive in nature and leads to life and work achievements

Temporal Focus: Thinking about the Past, Present, and Future. Abbie J.Shipp, Brad Aeon. Current Opinion in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.005

Highlights
•    Temporal focus is the degree to which people generally think about the past, present, and future.
•    Past focus is generally maladaptive in terms of work and life outcomes such as depression.
•    Present focus increases life satisfaction, but correlates with impulsive behaviors.
•    Future focus is more cognitive in nature and leads to life and work achievements.
•    Emerging research is testing multilevel models, spatial modeling, and profiles related to time.

Abstract: We review recent findings on temporal focus—the degree to which individuals think about the past, present, and/or future. Hypothetically, focusing on each time period could be beneficial as one can learn from the past, savor the present moment, and plan for the future. Yet research demonstrates that characteristically thinking about the past is disadvantageous, thinking about the future is advantageous, and thinking about the present has mixed outcomes. This paper examines these findings to consider where individuals should focus their attention in time, highlighting established (e.g., country level differences) and emerging (e.g., temporal focus profiles) research on the topic.

Animal models of binge drinking, current challenges to improve face validity

Animal models of binge drinking, current challenges to improve face validity. Jerome Jeanblanc et al. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.002

Highlights
•    Binge drinking (BD) is an increasing public health issue.
•    BD needs to be better defined in humans.
•    BD is associated with brain damages and cognitive deficits.
•    BD is a risk factor in the vulnerability to addiction.
•    Either forced or voluntary exposure to ethanol are used in animals to mimic human BD.
•    Relevant criteria for an animal model of BD may include voluntary and fast ingestion of a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time and at least for several days or weeks interspersed by abstinence periods.

Abstract: Binge drinking (BD), i.e., consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time, is an increasing public health issue. Though no clear definition has been adopted worldwide the speed of drinking seems to be a keystone of this behavior. Developing relevant animal models of BD is a priority for gaining a better characterization of the neurobiological and psychobiological mechanisms underlying this dangerous and harmful behavior. Until recently, preclinical research on BD has been conducted mostly using forced administration of alcohol, but more recent studies used scheduled access to alcohol, to model more voluntary excessive intakes, and to achieve signs of intoxications that mimic the human behavior. The main challenges for future research are discussed regarding the need of good face validity, construct validity and predictive validity of animal models of BD.

Abbreviations: BEC, Blood Ethanol Concentration; BD, Binge Drinking; DID, Drinking In the Dark; NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Keywords: binge drinking; animal models; rodents; validity; alcohol

Does waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) predict happiness? Belief about a person's essence matters

Does waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) predict happiness? Belief about a person's essence matters. Ji-eun Shin, Eunkook M. Suh. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 131, 1 September 2018, Pages 149–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.04.037

Abstract: Physical attractiveness (PAT), despite its allure in everyday life, has been an inconsistent predictor of happiness in past studies. In this research, we find that a lay belief about the locus of a person's “essence” moderates the PAT and happiness link. Specifically, we measured how strongly one believes in the diagnostic value of the visible (e.g., status, appearance) over the invisible (e.g., mood, thoughts) aspects of a person in understanding who s/he is. As expected, the more one believed in the value of the visible features, the more central PAT was in the person's overall life, and appearance was compared more often with others (Study 1). More importantly, PAT and well-being correlated significantly only among those who strongly endorsed the visible selfhood belief (Study 2). Compared to past studies on PAT that relied heavily on self-reports, a highly objective measure of attractiveness (waist-to-hip ratio) was employed in this research. Our research uncovers a novel individual difference factor that helps to clarify why PAT predicts the happiness of some, but not of others. Whether one thinks a person's essence can be judged by one's “cover” seems to matter in the PAT and happiness link.

Keywords: Physical attractiveness; Waist-to-hip ratio; Happiness; Visible selfhood; Lay belief

Presenting images of baby animals, versus adult animals, as the source of meat reduced appetite for meat, but this effect was weak and found almost exclusively among women

Are Baby Animals Less Appetizing? Tenderness toward Baby Animals and Appetite for Meat. Jared Piazza, Neil McLatchie & Cecilie Olesen. Anthrozoös, Volume 31, 2018 - Issue 3, Pages 319-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2018.1455456

Abstract: Three studies investigated whether thoughts and feelings generated by baby animals might oppose appetite for meat. A prestudy established babyness as an important factor predicting moral concern for farmed animals. Study 1 showed that presenting images of baby animals, versus adult animals, as the source of meat reduced appetite for meat, but this effect was weak and found exclusively among women. Study 2 replicated and extended study 1 using a larger sample and two new animal sources. Study 3 included a no animal comparison condition, and found greatest levels of reduced appetite for meat when the meat source was presented as a baby animal, as opposed to an adult animal or with no visual indication of the animal source. A meta-analysis of the results using Bayes factors revealed considerable cumulative evidence in favor of the hypothesis that images of baby animals temporarily reduce women’s appetite for meat. In contrast, the evidence for men was less strong. Our results highlight a tension within some omnivores between caring for baby animals and appetite for meat.

Keywords: appetite, baby animals, cuteness, human–animal interaction, meat, moral concern, tenderness

Educational Attainments in Norway, Twins Study: Heritable factors play an important role in the transmission process, and the postulated direct effects of parents own educational attainments are negligible. The family environment does matter, but only those features that are shared between the twins themselves and not those that involve their parents

Lyngstad, Torkild H., Eivind Ystrøm, and Imac M Zambrana 2018. “An Anatomy of Intergenerational Transmission: Learning from the Educational Attainments of Norwegian Twins and Their Parents”. SocArXiv. February 7. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/FBY2T

Abstract: Research on the intergenerational transmission of educational attainment, and transmission of social positions more generally, have long attempted to separate the relative roles of ascription and achievement. In these efforts, the bulk of research has ignored genetic inheritance. We use structural equations models and data on 4590 twin pairs and their parents to distinguish the roles of genetic and environmental influences on educational attainment in Norway, a country with high affordability and easy access to education at all levels. Our quantitative genetic models confirm the status quo; not of sociology, but of behavior genetics. Heritable factors play an important role in the transmission process, and the postulated direct effects of parents own educational attainments are negligible. The family environment does matter, but only those features that are shared between the twins themselves and not those that involve their parents. These results represent a challenge to conventional sociological theory on intergenerational transmission processes and the role of education in social stratification.

Keywords: intergenerational transmission, education, twins, Norway, parents

The Quality of Relationships That Arise From Successful Mate Poaching: Lower in relationship satisfaction, commitment and trust, and higher in jealousy, and had higher rates of romantic and sexuality infidelity

Why Find My Own When I Can Take Yours?: The Quality of Relationships That Arise From Successful Mate Poaching. Charlene F. Belu and Lucia F. O'Sullivan. Journal of Relationships Research, Volume 9, 2018, e6. https://doi.org/10.1017/jrr.2018.5

Abstract: Mate poaching occurs when a person attracts another, whom he or she knows is already in an exclusive relationship, into a sexual or romantic relationship. Mate poaching is involved in the evolution of many relationships. Yet, little is known about the quality of these relationships. We examined relationship quality between individuals whose relationships were formed via mate poaching versus not (i.e., a relationship formed serially without overlap with another relationship). We compared ratings of quality from the perspectives of poachers, poached, and co-poached individuals. Adult participants (n = 660) in a romantic relationship responded to questions assessing relationship quality. Those in relationships formed from poaching rated their relationships as lower in relationship satisfaction, commitment and trust, and higher in jealousy, and had higher rates of romantic and sexuality infidelity in their current relationship compared to individuals in non-poached relationships. Those who were poached from an existing relationship rated their current relationship as lower in commitment than did those who poached their current partner into a relationship. The study also provides first insights regarding relationship quality for those who identify as co-poached. We discuss these findings in terms of implications for understanding how relationships are formed and the qualities of those that endure.

When do we care about political neutrality? The hypocritical nature of reaction to political bias

When do we care about political neutrality? The hypocritical nature of reaction to political bias. Omer Yair, Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan. PLOS, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196674

Abstract: Claims and accusations of political bias are common in many countries. The essence of such claims is a denunciation of alleged violations of political neutrality in the context of media coverage, legal and bureaucratic decisions, academic teaching etc. Yet the acts and messages that give rise to such claims are also embedded within a context of intergroup competition. Thus, in evaluating the seriousness of, and the need for taking a corrective action in reaction to a purported politically biased act people may consider both the alleged normative violation and the political implications of the act/message for the evaluator’s ingroup. The question thus arises whether partisans react similarly to ingroup-aiding and ingroup-harming actions or messages which they perceive as politically biased. In three separate studies, conducted in two countries, we show that political considerations strongly affect partisans’ reactions to actions and messages that they perceive as politically biased. Namely, ingroup-harming biased messages/acts are considered more serious and are more likely to warrant corrective action in comparison to ingroup-aiding biased messages/acts. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for the implementations of measures intended for correcting and preventing biases, and for the nature of conflict and competition between rival political groups.

Reflections on violent public executions -- Dubai case of the rapist of what they say was a 5-year-old.

Reflections on violent public executions.

1  After a human nature studies group member posts this May 04 2018:

            👆👆👆Quick Justice: 5 year old was raped in Dubai... Within 15 minutes of this rape incident, the judiciary ordered the police to shoot the rapist in public view...

and I asked:

            Is there a good link of that? Can we verify that?

the OP posted a video of the botched execution. No date for the video.



2  My first reply (renumbered):

Several preliminary considerations of the many we could write about:

2.1 Such a careless executor (the rapist keeps moving after two bullets to the head and needs more than four to be sure he is dead) should be thoroughly censured --- I hope that he loses his position in the local militia or police force or whatever, and his bosses' heads roll too (figuratively, of course).

2.2  It is a big risk that executions are carried on public, and even more risky with firearms. What if some bystander is accidentally wounded? Killed?

Besides the immediate cost of stray bullets, public morality is damaged in the process. As a consecuence of the little cost of violence against persons, see the reaction of the family or whatever are the women that try to desecrate the criminal's body (we don't know if they really intend to do that or just want to be seen that indignant, but knowing that the militia/police won't let them touch the rapist).

2.3  We don't know why (but this is of interest for this group, and this is what we are here to talk about), but this level of violence when responding to crimes is linked to the big violence of the crimes.

2.3.1  First of all, it is almost unheard of in most of the population of OECD countries the rape of 5-year-olds. As a proxy indicator for those rapes we can use marriage with underage girls. Of course, being underage is something that varies from country to country, but let's leave it at that, underage. Check this work (Child Marriage in the United States: How Common Is the Practice, https://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2018/04/child-marriage-in-united-states-how.html, underage is less than 18 yo in this study):

Approximately 6.2 of every 1,000 children surveyed had ever been married. [Prevalence] was especially high among children of American Indian or Chinese descent (10.3 and 14.2, respectively [that is, about double the average]). Immigrant children were more likely than U.S.‐born children to have been married; prevalence among children from Mexico, Central America and the Middle East was 2–4 times that of children born in the United States.

For those who may think that it is not such a bad idea to be married so young, is also of interest is the prevalence of violence in those marriages: Association between adolescent marriage and marital violence among young adult women in India. Anita Raj et al. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, https://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2018/05/from-2010-association-between.html.

[All papers have big limitations, but even so, they are what we got to study and understand the issues.]


2.3.2  Relevant to this case, the brutality of executions (and the criminal justice system) is correlated (why?) with crime brutality. Any possible reasons I think of are not convincing at all.

Does anyone have papers about this relation of system brutality and criminal's brutal behavior?


2.4  I understand the OP's uneasiness with how "delicately" are going downhill things in OECD countries. Due to abhorrence of violence, more and more things that are perfectly natural and that lots of species do, like eating meat, are getting more and more difficult to understand and, as a consequence, there is a shaming of those who eat meat, and are proposals to ban meat and related activities, and sometimes terrorism against slaughterhouses or the industry more generally. Also, there is a strengthening opinion current to give to other species legal rights beyond not being cruelly handled. I can imagine how discomforting all this is for persons everywhere, but I think we should strive to have both things: less cruel behavior with animals and at the same time keeping for humans the right to behave like many other species do when eating.

What this means for the discussion is, IMHO, that we must not use fear of going downhill as those stupid Western societies (as one can argue) to keep doing unprofessional killings like the one in the video. We should not use the extremes of those opposing the right to have meat or other customs to justify violent, botched executions.

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Update

From 2010: Association between adolescent marriage and marital violence among young adult women in India

Association between adolescent marriage and marital violence among young adult women in India. Anita Raj et al. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.01.022

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether a history of adolescent marriage (< 18 years) places women in young adulthood in India at increased risk of physical or sexual marital violence.

Methods: Cross‐sectional analysis was performed on data from a nationally representative household study of 124 385 Indian women aged 15–49 years collected in 2005–2006. The analyses were restricted to married women aged 20–24 years who participated in the marital violence (MV) survey module (n = 10 514). Simple regression models and models adjusted for participant demographics were constructed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations between adolescent marriage and MV.

Results: Over half (58%) of the participants were married before 18 years of age; 35% of the women had experienced physical or sexual violence in their marriage; and 27% reported such abuse in the last year. Adjusted regression analyses revealed that women married as minors were significantly more likely than those married as adults to report ever experiencing MV (adjusted OR 1.77; 95% CI, 1.61–1.95) and in the last 12 months (adjusted OR 1.51; 95% CI, 1.36–1.67).

Conclusions: Women who were married as adolescents remain at increased risk of MV into young adulthood.

Demand for heroin was more elastic than demand for saccharin (i.e., heroin had lower essential value than saccharin). When allowed to choose, most rats preferred saccharin. The essential value of heroin, but not saccharin, predicted preference

Heroin and saccharin demand and preference in rats. Lindsay P.Schwartz, Jung S.Kim, Alan Silberberg, David N.Kearns. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 178, 1 September 2017, Pages 87-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.04.031

Highlights

•    Rats demand for heroin was more elastic than their demand for saccharin.
•    The essential value of heroin predicted subsequent choice of heroin over saccharin.
•    The essential value of saccharin was unrelated to preference.
•    Increased heroin access made demand for both heroin and saccharin less elastic.
•    Similar exposure to saccharin did not alter these reinforcers demand elasticity.

Abstract

Background: Several recent studies have investigated the choice between heroin and a non-drug alternative reinforcer in rats. A common finding in these studies is that there are large individual differences in preference, with some rats preferring heroin and some preferring the non-drug alternative. The primary goal of the present study was to determine whether individual differences in how heroin or saccharin is valued, based on demand analysis, predicts choice.

Methods: Rats lever-pressed for heroin infusions and saccharin reinforcers on fixed-ratio schedules. The essential value of each reinforcer was obtained from resulting demand curves. Rats were then trained on a mutually exclusive choice procedure where pressing one lever resulted in heroin and pressing another resulted in saccharin. After seven sessions of increased access to heroin or saccharin, rats were reexposed to the demand and choice procedures.

Results: Demand for heroin was more elastic than demand for saccharin (i.e., heroin had lower essential value than saccharin). When allowed to choose, most rats preferred saccharin. The essential value of heroin, but not saccharin, predicted preference. The essential value of both heroin and saccharin increased following a week of increased access to heroin, but similar saccharin exposure had no effect on essential value. Preference was unchanged after increased access to either reinforcer.

Conclusion: Heroin-preferring rats differed from saccharin-preferring rats in how they valued heroin, but not saccharin. To the extent that choice models addiction-related behavior, these results suggest that overvaluation of opioids specifically, rather than undervaluation of non-drug alternatives, could identify susceptible individuals.

The Influence of Sexual Orientation on the Perceived Fit of Male Applicants for Both Male- and Female-Typed Jobs

The Influence of Sexual Orientation on the Perceived Fit of Male Applicants for Both Male- and Female-Typed Jobs. Heather M. Clarke and Kara A. Arnold. Front Psychol, May 03 2018, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00656

Abstract: Research demonstrates the bias faced by individuals engaged in occupations that are perceived as inconsistent with their gender. The lack of fit model and role congruity theory explain how gender stereotypes give rise to the perception that an individual lacks the attributes necessary to be successful in a gender-incongruent job. Men employed in jobs traditionally held by women are perceived as wimpy and undeserving of respect. The majority of studies in this area have, however, failed to account for the sexual orientation of the individual being rated. Therefore, we carried out an experiment where 128 adults with experience in recruitment and selection, recruited through Qualtrics, rated heterosexual and gay male applicants applying for a gender-typed job. The heterosexual male was rated less effectual, less respect-worthy, and less hirable in the female-typed job condition than in the male-typed job condition. The gay male applicant, however, was rated similarly on all criteria across job gender-types, suggesting the gay male applicant was viewed as androgynous rather than high in femininity and low in masculinity as inferred by implicit inversion theory. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Four facets of conscientiousness (self-control, organisation, industriousness and responsibility) were related to lower adiposity, healthier metabolic, cardiovascular and inflammatory markers, and better performance on physical assessments

Facets of conscientiousness and objective markers of health status. Angelina R. Sutin, Yannick Stephan & Antonio Terracciano. Psychology & Health, https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2018.1464165

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between six facets of conscientiousness (self-control, order, industriousness, traditionalism, virtue, responsibility) and objective markers of health status, including adiposity, blood markers and physical performance.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of participants from the health and retirement study (N = 12,188).

Main Outcome Measures: Adiposity (body mass index, waist circumference), blood markers (A1c, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, cystatin c, c-reactive protein) and physical performance (lung function, grip strength, walking speed).

Results: Four of the six facets of conscientiousness were associated with nearly all of the health markers: Self-control, organisation, industriousness and responsibility were related to lower adiposity, healthier metabolic, cardiovascular and inflammatory markers, and better performance on physical assessments. Traditionalism and virtue had fewer associations with these objective markers.

Conclusion: This research took a facet-level approach to the association between conscientiousness and objective markers of health status. This research builds on models of conscientiousness and health to suggest that, in addition to health-risk behaviours, facets of conscientiousness are associated with more favourable biomedical markers of health status.

Keywords: responsibility, industriousness, self-control, conscientiousness, biomarkers, health status, facets

If we test subjects at home with everyday tasks (for example, remembering to call someone twice a day), older people do better than younger ones—although the effect is precisely the opposite in the laboratory

Foresee and Forget: How to Remember the Future. Matthias Kliegel and Nicola Ballhausen. Scientific American Mind, Scientific American Mind 29, 29 - 34 (2018), doi 10.1038/scientificamericanmind0518-29

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When Elders Do Better

If we test subjects at home with everyday tasks (for example, remembering to call someone twice a day), older people do better than younger ones—although the effect is precisely the opposite in the laboratory. This finding raises two important questions, which our team and colleagues throughout the world are examining: How is the odd discrepancy between laboratory and everyday life to be explained? And does prospective memory become less reliable with age, or does it not?

Tasks performed under laboratory conditions and those performed in daily life differ in various ways. In the laboratory memory is usually tested using standardized tasks that require multitasking. Under these conditions test subjects are generally unable to come up with mnemonic devices or use such memory aids as kitchen timers or to-do lists. For example, participants may be asked to look at a video and press a button every five minutes, tasks that have no intrinsic meaning to them. This may well be why they perform less well in the laboratory than out in the world, where priorities must be established and forgetting can have real consequences. In addition, the time span over which test subjects must retain something in memory is considerably shorter than it is in everyday life. At the same time, the lives of younger and older people are not really comparable.

The former are often engaged in study, must manage a variety of tasks and navigate unexpected situations; the lives of the latter are usually more predictable and follow a less chaotic rhythm. This circumstance makes it easier to remember. In addition, younger people may be more used to laboratory tests or feel less stressed in this setting. We also cannot rule out that an exaggerated self-image may play a role in the age paradox. Although both age groups underestimate their prospective abilities in the lab, only the younger participants tended to overestimate their performance in their usual, familiar environment. This may lead to their being less well prepared for a task.

Does prospective memory decrease as we age? If we focus only on laboratory experiments the situation is clear: This area of memory, too, becomes less reliable with age. Studies done in people’s own environments, however, have shown the capacity we need to maintain our daily lives remains intact for quite a long time, as long as we stay healthy. We are not yet able to answer the question conclusively, because too few studies have been conducted on the performance of different age groups in everyday life.

Future research must examine at least three dimensions of prospective memory: First, more experiments are needed on everyday life. Only sophisticated methods that do not interfere with the daily lives of test subjects will enable us to measure their prospective memory in a natural setting. Second, we must closely examine noncognitive factors such as motivations, emotions and stresses in order to understand this memory system. Finally, understanding the age-prospective-memory paradox may provide an opening for research aimed at maintaining certain cognitive processes and even improving them over the life span. There is some reason to hope a change in perspective from the deficits experienced by older people to the capacities that remain intact may change considerably our image of aging.

In the UK, supporters of the major parties (Labour, the Conservatives & Liberal Democrats) have substantively different personality traits. Moreover, those not identifying with any party, who are close to holding the majority, are similar to those identifying with the Conservatives

The Big Five personality traits and partisanship in England. Toke Aidt, Christopher Rauh. Electoral Studies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2018.04.017

Abstract: We propose a new framework for the study of the psychological foundation of party identification. We draw a distinction between the part of an individual's party preference that is stable throughout adult life and the dynamic part responding to lifecycle events and macro shocks. We theorize that the Big Five personality traits exert a causal effect on the stable part of an individual's party preference and provide evidence from a large nationally representative English panel dataset in support of this theory. We find that supporters of the major parties (Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats) have substantively different personality traits. Moreover, we show that those not identifying with any party, who are close to holding the majority, are similar to those identifying with the Conservatives. We show that these results are robust to controlling for cognitive skills and parental party preferences, and to estimation on a subsample of siblings. The relationship between personality traits and party identification is stable across birth cohorts.

Keywords: Big five personality traits; Party identification; Partisanship; England