Empathy’s in Our Genes?
Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | Tags: Bystander, compassion, empathy, evolution, genetics | Leave a Comment »Pavlov taught his dogs to slobber at the sound of a bell. Now, in a recent study, researchers have taught mice to flinch in pain at the sound of a buzzer. The difference is that the mice learned that behavior ...
The Birthday of Karl Menninger
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 | Tags: Bystander, altruism, helping behavior, prosocial behavior | Leave a Comment »I listen to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac podcast and heard that Tuesday was the birthday of Karl Menninger, the man known as the "dean of American psychiatry," born in Topeka, Kansas in 1893. When someone asked him what ...
Participate in a Study on Heroism & Altruism
Thursday, May 29th, 2008 | Tags: Bystander, altruism, helping behavior, heroism, prosocial behavior, psychology | 1 Comment »Led by Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a new study is examining how people view ideas such as altruism, heroism, and other helping behaviors. Greater Good is helping to recruit participants for this study. More information is below and at http://www.socialpsychresearch.org. Researchers from the ...
See Something/Do Something Day
Thursday, February 15th, 2007 | Tags: Bystander, altruism | 1 Comment »We've already blogged about the heroic altruism of Wesley Autrey (aka the NYC "Subway Superman") as a perfect example of someone who has transcended "the psychology of the bystander"--the theme of the latest issue of Greater Good. Now a group ...
Bystanders in the News, Pt. 2
Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 | Tags: Bystander, altruism, obedience | Leave a Comment »In the 1960s, the late Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted one of psychology's most famous and controversial experiments. He wanted to test how willing the average person would be to obey an authority figure, even when instructed to perform morally ...
Bystanders In the News
Monday, February 5th, 2007 | Tags: Bystander, altruism, heroism | 1 Comment »Our latest issue of Greater Good magazine came out this month, featuring several essays about "the psychology of the bystander." We look at the factors that do--and don't--induce people to come to the aid of others in a crisis situation.Just ...
