April/ May 2008: New Research & Findings

In this month's entry we'll start with some unusual findings regarding height:

* Having an older brother makes you shorter

Researchers at the University of Glasgow published a paper this month showing that people who have an older brother tend to be born lighter and remain shorter in adulthood. Why? The researchers speculate that being pregnant with a boy requires a greater energy investment from a mother, which decreases her reserves for the next child. Read more...

* Looking for a partner who isn't the jealous type?

A new study in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior found that tall men and 'average size' women tend to be the least jealous, while short men and women and 'taller than average' women tend to be the most jealous. Read more....

*What's the average height?

• Men in the USA: 5' 9"


• Women in the USA: 5' 4"


• Men in the Netherlands: 6' 0"


• Women in the Netherlands: 5' 7"


• Men in China: 5' 5"


• Women in China: 5' 2"

To see a listing of average heights around the world: List

* What does your finger length say about you?....

Take a look at your right hand. Is your ring finger longer than your index finger? If so, you are likely to better at what are called typically 'masculine' activities, like sports, math, and spatial judgement, and less skilled in typically 'feminine' abilities such as multi-tasking.

Want to learn more? Here is an article in the New York Times that tells more about research on finger length and testosterone, and an explanation in Wikipedia.

February/ March 2008: Interesting findings

* Walking speed: what's your pace?

A new study by Richard Wiseman, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, revealed that people all around the world are starting to walk faster.

People from 32 countries were secretly timed while walking over a 60 foot stretch of uncrowded sidewalk. The results were then compared to a study on walking speeds conducted in the 1994. Wiseman found that people in cities around the world are walking an average of 10% faster than they did in 1994.

Who cares? To psychologists this is an important finding, since walking speed is a good indicator of a society's pace of life. Our pace may by closely tied to advances in technology such as internet and mobile phones, which lead people to become more inpatient and eager to cram more into each day.

Which cities do you think move at the fastest pace? Take a guess before reading the list below.

The world's top 10 fast-pace cities:

1. Singapore (Singapore); 10.55 seconds


2. Copenhagen (Denmark); 10.82


3. Madrid (Spain); 10.89


4. Guangzhou (China): 10.94


5. Dublin (Ireland); 11.03


6. Curitiba (Brazil); 11.13


7. Berlin (Germany); 11.16


8. New York (United States of America); 12.00


9. Utrecht (Netherlands); 12.04


10. Vienna (Austria); 12.06

According to an informal poll at personality100, most people expected New York city to be at the top of the list. We wonder: Is it that New Yorkers DO tend to move very quickly on average, but in a rebellious fashion (darting in and out of traffic) that actually slows them down more over time? And, maybe even more curious: why is it important to us (americans) that new york 'wins' the race to be the fastest?

Previous research has shown that walking speeds are closely linked to other indicators of behaviour and even health. As people move faster they become less likely to help others, and also tend to have higher rates of stress, sickness, and heart disease.

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*Personality100.com Analysis

- Your assignment today is to take notice of your friends', family members' and colleagues' walking speeds. Do some walk fast faster than others? Do you notice any connections with their walking speed and personality?

- What's your walking speed? Do you walk faster or slower depending on your mood? Today, try deliberately walking faster or slower than normal to see how it impacts your emotions.

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December/ January 2008: New Links & Questions

NEWS

*Bravery: How courageous are you?

What is courage? Do other people define courage the same way you do? Click here to read recent article at Psyblog on the nature of courage: http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/08/what-is-courage.php


*Figuring out someone's intentions

Visit Cogweb to see some demonstrations of how we use simple movement cues to make big inferences about intentions: http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Discourse/Narrative/Heider_45.html

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Personality100.com 1-Minute Assignment

Whenever you are in a public place, take a moment to observe your reactions to people. Do you get a feeling for who is nice or not nice, courageous or timid, extroverted or introverted? What cues you are using to base your opinions?

Often, you'll find that it isn't just the way a person looks that makes an impression on you - it's also the speed of their movements and amount of motion a person has. Your assigmnent today is to pay close attention to the people's motion cues to see what kind of impact they have on you.

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*In this month's blog we decided to include some inspiring video clips!

What do your children learn from you? Here is a nice little video on utube, reminding parents about role-modelling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JfHB2cruJU

Would you dare to stand up? This is a clip from the movie 'to kill a mockingbird', in which Scout, a small girl, inadvertently diffuses a mob by using the pscyhological principle called 'individuation': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWdeE3wq5cI

How observant are you? Sherlock Holmes shows some obeservation 'magic' in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVi0bbJsIwg&feature=related

October/ November 2007: New Findings, Research & Analyses

NEW FOR OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER

This month's entries focus on the topic of laughter.

*What's so funny? The world's funniest joke

According to researchers from Britian, people from around the world gave the following joke the best rating:


"A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency service. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator says: “Take it easy. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is silence, then a shot is heard. The guy’s voice comes back on the line. He says, “OK, now what?”

Do you find it funny? This joke illustrates an aspect that tickles many people's funny bone: "Controlled incongruity", which means 'You’re expecting x, and you get y'. This leads us into this month's self-analysis assignment:
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*Personality 100.com 1-minute analysis

What do you find funny? Take note this week of the type of things that make you laugh. See if you can find a common thread among your laughs.

What do your friends find funny? It's interesting to compare the kinds of things you find funny with the kinds of things that make your friends and colleagues laugh. For some people, watching other people's mistakes creates the biggest laughs (tripping, falling, dropping something). For others, word plays, unexpected twists, or taboos (such as talk about sex, excrement, or bodily functions) create the biggest laughs.
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* Why is laughter so important?

Here, you can read an article about the social bonding function of laughter. Laughter instinctually connects us with other people.

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/laughter

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* Share a laugh:

The first “World Laughter Day” gathering took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th of January 1998. 12,000 members from local and international Laughter Clubs joined together in a mega laughing session. To find a laughter club near you: http://www.laughteryoga.org/searchCentre.php

One of Utube's most popular videos is a laughing baby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

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Are you new to Personality100? You can find out about how the newest findings in pscyhological research relate to you by taking our 10-minute personality test at http://www.personality100.com/