Abstract: In “Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype,” philosopher and amateur stand-up comedian Sheila Lintott analyzes the nature and critically evaluates the evidence for the stereotype that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot, arguing that the evidence does not support the truth of the stereotype. In addition, this chapter explores the roots of the stereotype in the mad genius stereotype familiar since at least the time of Plato; considers reasons for its perpetuation among the public, academia, and stand-ups themselves; and surveys the negative consequences of the troubled stand-up stereotype, including a tendency to downplay the role the working conditions, climate, and culture of stand-up comedy plays in creating or exacerbating any mental health, social, and addiction challenges faced by comedians.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
The stereotype (familiar since at least the time of Plato's description of the mad genius) that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot is wrong
Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype. Sheila Lintott. Chapter in The Dark Side of Stand-Up Comedy pp 197-222, April 11 2020. https://rd.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-37214-9_10
Abstract: In “Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype,” philosopher and amateur stand-up comedian Sheila Lintott analyzes the nature and critically evaluates the evidence for the stereotype that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot, arguing that the evidence does not support the truth of the stereotype. In addition, this chapter explores the roots of the stereotype in the mad genius stereotype familiar since at least the time of Plato; considers reasons for its perpetuation among the public, academia, and stand-ups themselves; and surveys the negative consequences of the troubled stand-up stereotype, including a tendency to downplay the role the working conditions, climate, and culture of stand-up comedy plays in creating or exacerbating any mental health, social, and addiction challenges faced by comedians.
Abstract: In “Stand-Up Comedy and Mental Health: Critiquing the Troubled Stand-Up Stereotype,” philosopher and amateur stand-up comedian Sheila Lintott analyzes the nature and critically evaluates the evidence for the stereotype that stand-up comedians are an extraordinarily troubled lot, arguing that the evidence does not support the truth of the stereotype. In addition, this chapter explores the roots of the stereotype in the mad genius stereotype familiar since at least the time of Plato; considers reasons for its perpetuation among the public, academia, and stand-ups themselves; and surveys the negative consequences of the troubled stand-up stereotype, including a tendency to downplay the role the working conditions, climate, and culture of stand-up comedy plays in creating or exacerbating any mental health, social, and addiction challenges faced by comedians.
Self-reported Compliance and Attitudes About Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Lab, Brauer G. 2020. “Self-reported Compliance and Attitudes About Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Outbreak.” OSF Preprints. April 13. doi:10.31219/osf.io/bv28d
Abstract: We studied self-reports of social distancing in a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. We found that younger, less educated individuals who do not see social distancing as effective or the norm are currently less likely to fully comply with social distancing recommendations. Barriers such as not being able to tolerate social distancing for a long time prevent individuals from doing so, while seeing how distancing can help one's family and others is a potential benefit that could be made salient to encourage compliance. Communication campaigns aimed at increasing social distancing should use trusted sources such as public health officials and should work through national news networks and social media, as these are the media most used by the individuals whose behavior we need to change to address the current public health crisis.
Abstract: We studied self-reports of social distancing in a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. We found that younger, less educated individuals who do not see social distancing as effective or the norm are currently less likely to fully comply with social distancing recommendations. Barriers such as not being able to tolerate social distancing for a long time prevent individuals from doing so, while seeing how distancing can help one's family and others is a potential benefit that could be made salient to encourage compliance. Communication campaigns aimed at increasing social distancing should use trusted sources such as public health officials and should work through national news networks and social media, as these are the media most used by the individuals whose behavior we need to change to address the current public health crisis.
Educational attainment & being Democrat is positively related to reduction in distance traveled & non-essential visitations, but the opposite effect is observed for human encounters (selectively engaging)
Im, Hohjin, Christopher Ahn, Peiyi Wang, and Chuansheng Chen. 2020. “An Early Examination: Psychological, Health, and Economic Correlates and Determinants of Social Distancing Amidst COVID-19.” PsyArXiv. April 13. doi:10.31234/osf.io/9ravu
Abstract: With the exponential spread of COVID-19 across the United States, federal and local government agencies have issued numerous orders and recommendations for residents to practice social distancing. This study utilizes data collected from Unacast Inc. spanning observations of 3,142 counties across 50 states from March 8, 2020 to April 5, 2020 (N = 83,944) in a 3-level multilevel model to examine the correlates of social distancing behavior, as measured by the proportional reduction in 1) distance traveled and 2) nonessential visitations, as well as, the absolute value reduction in 3) human encounters made, compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Results indicate that the proportion of Democrats and educational attainment is positively related to reduction in distance traveled and non-essential visitations, but the opposite effect is observed for human encounters, suggesting that Democrats and educated individuals may be selectively engaging in certain social distancing behaviors but not others. Average personal income and proportion of older residents were generally positively related to engagement in social distancing. State-level variables for health and economics show little relation to engagement in social distancing, suggesting that communication of health and preventative behavior information may prove more fruitful at the local level than state level. Implications and interpretations of findings are discussed.
Abstract: With the exponential spread of COVID-19 across the United States, federal and local government agencies have issued numerous orders and recommendations for residents to practice social distancing. This study utilizes data collected from Unacast Inc. spanning observations of 3,142 counties across 50 states from March 8, 2020 to April 5, 2020 (N = 83,944) in a 3-level multilevel model to examine the correlates of social distancing behavior, as measured by the proportional reduction in 1) distance traveled and 2) nonessential visitations, as well as, the absolute value reduction in 3) human encounters made, compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Results indicate that the proportion of Democrats and educational attainment is positively related to reduction in distance traveled and non-essential visitations, but the opposite effect is observed for human encounters, suggesting that Democrats and educated individuals may be selectively engaging in certain social distancing behaviors but not others. Average personal income and proportion of older residents were generally positively related to engagement in social distancing. State-level variables for health and economics show little relation to engagement in social distancing, suggesting that communication of health and preventative behavior information may prove more fruitful at the local level than state level. Implications and interpretations of findings are discussed.
Cross-cultural analysis illustrated that the relationship between infectious diseases and authoritarianism was pronounced for infectious diseases that can be acquired from other humans
Zmigrod, Leor, Tobias Ebert, Friedrich M. Götz, and Jason Rentfrow. 2020. “The Psychological and Socio-political Consequences of Infectious Diseases.” PsyArXiv. April 11. doi:10.31234/osf.io/84qcm
Abstract: What are the socio-political consequences of infectious diseases? Humans have evolved to avoid disease and infection, resulting in a set of psychological mechanisms that promote disease-avoidance, referred to as the behavioural immune system (BIS). One manifestation of the BIS is the cautious avoidance of unfamiliar, foreign, or potentially contaminating stimuli. Specifically, when disease infection risk is salient or prevalent, authoritarian attitudes can emerge that seek to avoid and reject foreign outgroups while favoring homogenous, familiar ingroups. In the largest study conducted on the topic to date (N>240,000), elevated regional levels of infectious pathogens were related to more authoritarian attitudes on three geographical levels: across US metropolitan regions, US states, and cross-culturally across 47 countries. The link between pathogen prevalence and authoritarian psychological dispositions predicted conservative voting behavior in the 2016 US Presidential Election as well as more authoritarian governance and state laws, in which one group of people imposes asymmetrical laws on others in a hierarchical structure. Furthermore, cross-cultural analysis illustrated that the relationship between infectious diseases and authoritarianism was pronounced for infectious diseases that can be acquired from other humans (nonzoonotic), and does not generalize to other infectious diseases that can only be acquired from non-human species (zoonotic diseases). At a time of heightened awareness of infectious diseases, these findings are important reminders that public health and ecology can have ramifications for socio-political attitudes, and this can shape how citizens vote as well as how they govern and are governed.
Abstract: What are the socio-political consequences of infectious diseases? Humans have evolved to avoid disease and infection, resulting in a set of psychological mechanisms that promote disease-avoidance, referred to as the behavioural immune system (BIS). One manifestation of the BIS is the cautious avoidance of unfamiliar, foreign, or potentially contaminating stimuli. Specifically, when disease infection risk is salient or prevalent, authoritarian attitudes can emerge that seek to avoid and reject foreign outgroups while favoring homogenous, familiar ingroups. In the largest study conducted on the topic to date (N>240,000), elevated regional levels of infectious pathogens were related to more authoritarian attitudes on three geographical levels: across US metropolitan regions, US states, and cross-culturally across 47 countries. The link between pathogen prevalence and authoritarian psychological dispositions predicted conservative voting behavior in the 2016 US Presidential Election as well as more authoritarian governance and state laws, in which one group of people imposes asymmetrical laws on others in a hierarchical structure. Furthermore, cross-cultural analysis illustrated that the relationship between infectious diseases and authoritarianism was pronounced for infectious diseases that can be acquired from other humans (nonzoonotic), and does not generalize to other infectious diseases that can only be acquired from non-human species (zoonotic diseases). At a time of heightened awareness of infectious diseases, these findings are important reminders that public health and ecology can have ramifications for socio-political attitudes, and this can shape how citizens vote as well as how they govern and are governed.
Religiosity, shared identity, trust, and punishment of norm violations: No evidence of generalized behavioral prosociality, only of self-reported prosociality
Galen, L. W., Kurby, C. A., & Fles, E. H. (2020). Religiosity, shared identity, trust, and punishment of norm violations: No evidence of generalized prosociality. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Apr 2020. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000320
Abstract: Previous research has suggested that religion is associated not only with self-reported prosociality, but also with observable behaviors as manifested in standard economic game interactions. However, such studies have often left key elements uncontrolled, leading to incomplete interpretations of the influences of religiosity. The present article includes two studies in which prosocial behavior was assessed as a function of the religious identity (Christian or nonreligious) and intrinsic religiosity of the participant and the religious identity of the game partner (Christian or atheist). In Study 1, although participant religiosity and religious identity were related to greater self-reported agreeableness, they were inversely related to behavioral trust in a partner (i.e., amount forwarded) regardless of the partner’s religious identity. In Study 2, a third-party paradigm allowed participants to address an unequal exchange between partners (either Christians or atheists) by either punishing the perpetrator or compensating the victim. There was no overall effect of participant religiosity on the tendency to punish or compensate unequal exchanges. However, religiosity was related to relatively greater fairness ratings of the objectively unequal exchange. In sum, religiosity was predictive of self-reported but not behavioral prosociality.
Abstract: Previous research has suggested that religion is associated not only with self-reported prosociality, but also with observable behaviors as manifested in standard economic game interactions. However, such studies have often left key elements uncontrolled, leading to incomplete interpretations of the influences of religiosity. The present article includes two studies in which prosocial behavior was assessed as a function of the religious identity (Christian or nonreligious) and intrinsic religiosity of the participant and the religious identity of the game partner (Christian or atheist). In Study 1, although participant religiosity and religious identity were related to greater self-reported agreeableness, they were inversely related to behavioral trust in a partner (i.e., amount forwarded) regardless of the partner’s religious identity. In Study 2, a third-party paradigm allowed participants to address an unequal exchange between partners (either Christians or atheists) by either punishing the perpetrator or compensating the victim. There was no overall effect of participant religiosity on the tendency to punish or compensate unequal exchanges. However, religiosity was related to relatively greater fairness ratings of the objectively unequal exchange. In sum, religiosity was predictive of self-reported but not behavioral prosociality.
Political humility: engaging others with different political perspectives
Political humility: engaging others with different political perspectives. Adam S. Hodge,Joshua N. Hook,Daryl R. Van Tongeren,Don E. Davis &Stacey E. McElroy-Heltzel. The Journal of Positive Psychology, Apr 16 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1752784
ABSTRACT: As the current political environment in the United States and around the world becomes more polarized, it is important to better understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of engaging political discourse with political humility. Across two studies, we explored the predictors of political humility (Study 1), and how political humility might impact engagement with different viewpoints (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 311), political humility was positively related to openness, but negatively associated with political commitment. In Study 2 (N = 194), controlling for political commitment, political humility was positively associated with identifying positives in the opposite political perspective, identifying the results of a neutral essay as inconclusive, and having more favorable ratings of a political essay contrary to their own views. On the other hand, political humility was negatively related to experiential avoidance. We conclude by discussing limitations and suggestions for future research.
KEYWORDS: Intellectual humility, politics, commitment, personality, relational humility
ABSTRACT: As the current political environment in the United States and around the world becomes more polarized, it is important to better understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of engaging political discourse with political humility. Across two studies, we explored the predictors of political humility (Study 1), and how political humility might impact engagement with different viewpoints (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 311), political humility was positively related to openness, but negatively associated with political commitment. In Study 2 (N = 194), controlling for political commitment, political humility was positively associated with identifying positives in the opposite political perspective, identifying the results of a neutral essay as inconclusive, and having more favorable ratings of a political essay contrary to their own views. On the other hand, political humility was negatively related to experiential avoidance. We conclude by discussing limitations and suggestions for future research.
KEYWORDS: Intellectual humility, politics, commitment, personality, relational humility
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