December 22, 2011

Editor's Selections: Serious Gamers and Dictators

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Part of my online life includes editorial duties at ResearchBlogging.org, where I serve as the Social Sciences Editor. Each Thursday, I pick notable posts on research in anthropology, philosophy, social science, and research to share on the ResearchBlogging.org News site. To help highlight this writing, I also share my selections here on AiP.

If you are observing holiday festivities this weekend, I hope they’re full of good food and loved ones. On the docket this week:

Serious gamers take note: you’ll learn more from the experience if you have a growth mindset versus a fixed one, and take each challenge as a learning opportunity instead of a personal evaluation. More of a fixed mindset? Don’t worry—Dr. Shock tells us that the growth mindset can also be learned.
What does it take to be a dictator? Jason Goldman has a few ideas: He reports on the ”big six” constellation of personality disorders that may commonly reflect the personalities of dictators more generally.

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I’ll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.

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