Declines in vocabulary of American adults, 1974–2016: As educational attainment has increased, those at each educational level are less verbally skilled

Declines in vocabulary among American adults within levels of educational attainment, 1974–2016. Jean M. Twenge et al. Intelligence, Volume 76, September–October 2019, 101377, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2019.101377

Highlights
• When controlled for educational attainment, adults' vocabulary skills have declined.
• The vocabulary of U.S. college graduates was lower in the 2010s vs. the late 1970s.
• Vocabulary declined across all levels of educational attainment.
• The decline in vocabulary is primarily a time period effect.

Abstract: We examined trends over time in vocabulary, a key component of verbal intelligence, in the nationally representative General Social Survey of U.S. adults (n = 29,912). Participants answered multiple-choice questions about the definitions of 10 specific words. When controlled for educational attainment, the vocabulary of the average U.S. adult declined between the mid-1970s and the 2010s. Vocabulary declined across all levels of educational attainment (less than high school, high school or 2-year college graduate, bachelor's or graduate degree), with the largest declines among those with a bachelor's or graduate degree. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses separating the effects of age, time period, and cohort suggest that the decline is primarily a time period effect. Increasing educational attainment has apparently not improved verbal ability among Americans. Instead, as educational attainment has increased, those at each educational level are less verbally skilled even though the vocabulary skills of the whole population are unchanged.

Despite the popularity of the Ancient Greek maxim ‘know thyself’, the importance of self-insight for adjustment, or effective psychological functioning, is not there: There is no better adjustment

Self-insight into emotional and cognitive abilities is not related to higher adjustment. Joyce C. He & Stéphane Côté. Nature Human Behaviour, July 22 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-019-0644-0

Abstract: Despite the popularity of the Ancient Greek maxim ‘know thyself’, the importance of self-insight for adjustment, or effective psychological functioning, remains unclear. Here we examined four perspectives about how cognitive and emotional abilities and self-views about these abilities relate to adjustment. We administered tests of cognitive and emotional abilities and assessed self-views about these abilities. Participants then completed daily diaries for a week to report multiple self-reported indicators of adjustment. We analysed data using polynomial regression and response surface analysis. We found no support for benefits of self-insight. The conditions to infer support for linear or curvilinear associations between abilities or self-views about these abilities and adjustment were also not met. The findings suggest that giving employees and students feedback about their cognitive and emotional abilities in organizations and in schools may not enhance their adjustment. We discuss the limitations of our study and offer suggestions for future research.

Women strongly prefer a highly educated potential partner in dating app Tinder; men have not aversion to a highly educated partner; & there is no preference for a partner with a similar education level

Are Men Intimidated by Highly Educated Women? Undercover on Tinder. Brecht Neyt et al. Economics of Education Review, July 22 2019, 101914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2019.101914

Highlights
• Women on Tinder are more selective than men on Tinder.
• Women on Tinder have a preference for highly educated men.
• Men on Tinder are not intimidated by highly educated women.
• On Tinder, preferences for educational assortative mating are absent.

Abstract: In this study, we examine the impact of an individual's education level on her/his mating success on the mobile dating app Tinder. To do so, we conducted a field experiment on Tinder in which we collected data on 3,600 profile evaluations. In line with previous research on mating preferences from multiple fields, our results indicate a heterogeneous effect of education level by gender: while women strongly prefer a highly educated potential partner, this hypothesis is rejected for men. In contrast with recent influential studies from the field of economics, we do not find any evidence that men would have an aversion to a highly educated potential partner. Additionally, in contrast with most previous research – again from multiple fields – we do not find any evidence for preferences for educational assortative mating, i.e. preferring a partner with a similar education level.

Keywords: Returns to educationMating successAssortative matingDating appsTinder

The presence of laughter enhances how funny people find jokes, even recorded laughter; this effect is increased for spontaneous laughter; effect was present for both neurotypical & autistic participants

Modulation of humor ratings of bad jokes by other people’s laughter. Qing Cai, Sinead Chen, Sarah J. White, Sophie K. Scott. Current Biology, Volume 29, Issue 14, July 22 2019, Pages R677-R678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.073

Summary: Laughter is a positive vocal emotional expression: most laughter is found in social interactions [1]. We are overwhelmingly more likely to laugh when we are with other people [1], and laughter can play a very important communicative role [2]. We do of course also laugh at humor — but can laughter influence how funny we actually perceive the humorous material to be? In this study, we show that the presence of laughter enhances how funny people find jokes and that this effect is increased for spontaneous laughter. This effect was present for both neurotypical and autistic participants, indicating similarities in their implicit processing of laughter.

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This may be due to our autistic participants being high functioning, or perhaps similar performance patterns can rest on distinctly different neural systems 6, 7, or laughter is implicitly processed by autistic individuals in the same way as their neurotypical peers.

The potential role of testosterone as a relationship protection mechanism, activated by threats to one's pair-bond (e.g., devaluation of attractive alternatives)

The potential role of testosterone as a relationship protection mechanism. Stefan Mattias-Maria Goetz, Justin M. Carré. Human Behavior and Evolution Society 31st annual meeting. Boston 2019. http://tiny.cc/aa1w6y

Abstract: Testosterone has oft been described as a mating effort hormonal mechanism, and is generally conceived of as promoting promiscuity. However, the environment can at times favor monogamy. The field of social psychology has long recognized a host of relationship protection mechanisms that are activated by threats to one's pair-bond (e.g., devaluation of attractive alternatives). To the degree that testosterone functions to promote mating effort writ large, we hypothesize that it should sharpen these relationship protection mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, we employed a placebocontrol double blind between subject design in which men either received testosterone (Natesto® ) or placebo (N = ~300) before interacting with an attractive female confederate. About half of the men were already in a committed relationship allowing us to test both the effects of testosterone on mate seeking and its effects on fidelity. Behavioral coding of the videos will be undertaken to ascertain men’s mate seeking behaviors, operationalized as self-presentation, behavioral mimicry, attention fixation, and self-reported interest.

The Oxford Handbook of Gossip and Reputation: Women's interest in other women, as seen by Francis T McAndrew