Adam Waytz is an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. His research uses methods from social psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study the causes and consequences of perceiving mental states in other agents and to investigate processes related to social connection, meaning-making, morality and ethics. Professor Waytz's research has been published in leading journals such as Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Review. In recognition of his work, Professor Waytz received the 2008 Theoretical Innovation Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Professor Waytz received his BA in Psychology from Columbia University, his PhD in social psychology from the University of Chicago, and received a National Service Research Award from the National Institute of Health to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University.
Quantiphobia and the turning of morals into facts
When stats-wiz and political prognosticator Nate Silver’s new venture, FiveThirtyEight, launched last week, it punctuated the rise of “data journalism,” journalism that incorporates actual numerical data into reporting and storytelling! Silver’s star rose through his New York Times blog, which largely focused on political analysis and his ability to correctly predict 50 out of 50 [...]
The Feeling of Being Stared At
Perhaps my favorite psychology article of all time, is Edward Titchener’s, “The Feeling of Being Stared At,” which appeared in Science on December 23, 1898 (almost 115 years ago exactly!).
The problem with rich people and ethics
The main problem with rich people and ethics, has nothing to do with them per se; it has to do with us, and the fairly well developed stereotypes we hold about what the ethics of the rich are. Unlike, say, people who repair laundry machines, or Aleut musicians, or female cricketers (about whom we do [...]
More Questions Than Answers About Whistleblowing
My colleagues, Liane Young and James Dungan, and I recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about whistleblowing based on recent research we also published on the topic. Very simply, our work demonstrates that people’s willingness to blow the whistle (i.e.
When Neglecting One’s Future Benefits Others
Sometimes the same psychological beliefs that do a disservice to oneself can provide a benefit others, a paradox demonstrated by a forthcoming article by Dan Bartels, Trevor Kvaran, and Shaun Nichols. The article examines how people’s views about the nature of “the self” affect their generosity toward others. In particular, the article centers on ideas [...]
In Memoriam: Dan Wegner
Last week, our friend, psychologist, Dan Wegner, passed away and we will miss him dearly. It is hard to express the magnitude of Dan’s influence on my own work as well as on the field of psychology in general. His research touched on a multitude of important areas in psychology, from memory, to consciousness, to [...]
A Different Look at the Political Divide on Morality
JZ, In your last post you talk about the political divide in morality in terms of the groundbreaking Moral Foundations Theory, which demonstrates that political liberals place greater emphasis on the values of fairness and harm avoidance whereas political conservatives place greater emphasis on purity, respect for authority, and loyalty.
The Next Taboo?
JZ, It took me all week to think of an answer to the question you posed in the previous post, “what practices are banal today, but in 100 years will seem unspeakably immoral?” My gut response was to say boxing. I figured that we are becoming increasingly sensitive to acts of bodily harm of all [...]
Is Moralization on the Upswing?
Adding Complexity to Questions of Moral Motivation
A moral paradox
Why Doctors Should Be More Empathetic--But Not Too Much More
Research is revealing what goes on in the brains of health care workers when they see patients as objects
Psychology beyond the Brain
What scientists are discovering by measuring the beating of the heart
A Taboo Exchange
Financial incentives backfire when negotiations involve deeply held beliefs
You Have Superpowers
How to tap the strange power of being wrong
The Psychology of the Taboo Trade-Off
Surprising insights into “sacred values,” and what they mean for negotiation
The Psychology of Social Status
How the pursuit of status can lead to aggressive and self-defeating behavior