Topic description and stories

Musical preferences unite personalities across the globe

10 Feb 2022

Research involving more than 350,000 participants from six continents has found that links between musical preferences and personality are universal...

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Mural in the SoHo district of New York, one of the US cities featured in the study.

Gentrification changes the personality make-up of cities in just a few years

16 Dec 2021

Massive study of almost two million US residents reveals rising housing costs may drive increases in “openness” of character among both long-term and...

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Man in a cowboy hat atop Humphreys Peak in Arizona, US

‘Wild West’ mentality lingers in US mountain regions

07 Sep 2020

Distinct psychological mix associated with mountain populations is consistent with the theory that harsh frontiers attracted certain personalities...

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Industrial workplace

Industrial Revolution: damaging psychological ‘imprint’ persists in today’s populations

10 Dec 2017

Study finds people in areas historically reliant on coal-based industries have more ‘negative’ personality traits. Psychologists suggest this...

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Drain Brain Spider

Personality traits linked to differences in brain structure

25 Jan 2017

Our personality may be shaped by how our brain works, but in fact the shape of our brain can itself provide surprising clues about how we behave –...

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The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Biosocial science: The murky history of the nature and nurture debate

23 Jan 2017

The idea that social behaviours are biologically influenced is controversial, but may provide new views on how our environment influences who we are...

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Shopping

Spending for smiles: money can buy happiness after all

07 Apr 2016

Money really can buy happiness when spending fits our personality, finds a study based on 77,000 UK bank transactions.

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Headphones

Opinion: What your musical taste says about your personality

30 Nov 2015

David Greenberg (Department of Psychology) discusses how musical preferences are linked to thinking styles.

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 Scotland ~ Day 2

Study finds GB’s most extroverted, agreeable and emotionally stable regions

25 Mar 2015

A survey of almost 400,000 British residents has highlighted significant differences in personalities between regions. Amongst its findings, it shows...

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Facebook's Infection

Computers using digital footprints are better judges of personality than friends and family

12 Jan 2015

Researchers have found that, based on enough Facebook Likes, computers can judge your personality traits better than your friends, family and even...

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Social learning in baboons

To boldly go – how personality predicts social learning in baboons

11 Mar 2014

Like other social animals, baboons learn from each other about which foods are best to eat. Now, researchers at Cambridge have found that how well...

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Heave, Ho!

Feeling powerless increases the weight of the world… literally

04 Feb 2014

New research shows that the more personally and socially powerless you feel the heavier objects appear to weigh.

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