Latest news with #SocialPsychologicalandPersonalityScience
New York Post
02-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Party poopers: Less than 10% of American friendships cross political lines
Only a tiny portion of friendships in the US are between a Democrat and a Republican, an eye-opening new study found. Researchers at Wellesley College looked at 971 adult friend pairs and found that most Americans are not willing to agree to disagree. The study, published July 5 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, analyzed two separate friend samples, one in-person and one online. Advertisement 5 Researchers found that in real-life samples from New York and Boston, only 3% of friendships paired a Democrat and a Republican, a sign of deepening political silos. Jacob Lund – One study surveyed 537 friend pairs in deep-blue cities like New York and Boston, plus three liberal campuses — Wellesley, Amherst and Babson — and found just 3% of friendships crossed party lines. Nearly half of participants were Democrats. Only 7% were Republicans. Advertisement The second group, 434 friend pairs surveyed online, was more politically balanced — and the number of cross-party friendships more than doubled. With 42% Democrats and 31% Republicans, 8% of friendships spanned the aisle, hinting conservatives may be more willing to mix than their liberal peers. Even when friendships did cross the aisle, they scored lower on trust, emotional support and mutual understanding, the study found. 5 The study surveyed more than 970 friend pairs and found that almost all shared similar views on hot-button issues like abortion, gun control and immigration. fizkes – But there was one silver lining: the rare few who crossed party lines regarded the other side with less hostility. Advertisement 'Part of what is destroying our social fabric is that we have set an expectation that to be a good Democrat or Republican, you have to unconditionally hate the other party,' said Sean Westwood, a political scientist at Dartmouth College. 'There is evidence that this social pressure to hate makes the state of partisan conflict seem worse than it actually is.' That pressure only grows, he added, when people don't have personal ties to someone on the other side. 'If you don't know a Republican or Democrat, it is easier to assume that they are unpatriotic, evil or immoral,' Westwood told The Post. 'Without a personal connection you can get lost in the nonsense coming from social media, cable news and Washington DC.' 5 Even when friendships crossed political lines, participants rated them as less close and less satisfying compared to ideologically aligned relationships. lesslemon – Advertisement Only about a quarter of friend pairs said they disagreed on major issues like abortion, immigration or gun rights, suggesting most people befriend those who already see eye to eye. And when politics entered the chat, things got even rockier — a quarter of those who disagreed said the conversation damaged the friendship. Some simply obliterate the friendship entirely, a 2024 study found One in five adults have cut off a close relative over politics, and half said the break happened in 2024 leading up to the election, a 2024 survey from The Harris Poll found. 5 Despite the tension, those with politically opposite friends showed more tolerance toward outgroups, suggesting some benefits to bipartisan bonds. be free – Among those still in contact, a third said they felt uncomfortable at a family gathering because of someone's political views, and just as many feared future events could turn ugly. 'It is rewarding to be around people who validate your views of the world and of the moral order, and from mildly stressful to absolutely intolerable to be around people who disagree with beliefs and values that are important to us,' Dr. Peter Ditto, a psychology professor at UC Irvine, told The Post. And it's a vicious cycle. Advertisement 'The more people hear about polarization, hostility and how few Democrats and Republicans are friends, the more they become convinced that they should also keep quiet,' said University of Michigan political communications professor Yanna Krupnikov. 5 In a more balanced national sample, 8% of 434 friend pairs crossed party lines — slightly higher than the 3% found in liberal strongholds. – Ditto warned that as politics becomes more central to people's identities, it's taking a toll on their personal lives. 'I worry as I see more and more evidence that politics is getting personal … that the corrosive political polarization in contemporary U.S. politics is seeping into people's everyday lives in ways that impact their well-being,' he said.
New York Post
27-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
This is an easy way to figure out if someone has a high ‘body count', study says
How many people someone has slept with is a personal thing that most don't want to disclose — unless maybe you're on a reality TV dating show like Love Island, where they created an entire challenge around the topic. However, according to a Washington State University study, there is a simple way to determine if a person gets freaky in the sheets often — and it has to do with how much strength they have. Lead researchers Caroline Smith and Ed Hagen analyzed data from 4,300 US participants. They found that people — both men and women — with upper body strength reportedly have a high number of sexual partners. Advertisement People aren't hitting the gym just to feel good. It would be assumed that most people hit the gym to get strong and fit — little do they know that it could also be improving their sex lives. 'We found a main effect of strength on mating success proxied by lifetime number of sexual partners and current partnered status, but not past-year number of sexual partners or age at first intercourse,' the study abstract read. Advertisement So if your significant other can crank out pushups without breaking a sweat — they might have a high body count. And there is such a thing as the ideal number of sexual partners for an individual. The magic number for men is 4 to 5 partners in their lifetime and for women, that number shrinks to 2 to 3 partners, according to a study featured in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Upper body strength can tell a lot about a person. Igor Mojzes Advertisement The word 'ideal' is used because it's a person's prerogative how many people they want to get it on with — but if it's higher than what the study said, be prepared to have judgy Karens looking at you sideways. Considering the average American has only slept with 14 people, according to a poll conducted by Talker Research for LELO, the 'perfect' numbers for both genders are fairly low. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the average body count number for people in the US is lower than 20, because America is not having nearly as much sex as it should. Advertisement The average American is only getting it on once a week, according to sad sack statistics, released by mattress company NapLab. New York and New Jersey need to step it up. New Yorkers are only doing the deed 1.39 times per week and New Jerseyians are getting freaky only 1.21 times a week.
Newsweek
19-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Gen Zer Telling Sister Her Baby Name Is 'Completely Unacceptable' Applauded
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A 20-year-old man has described how he felt he was left with little choice but to speak up after his elder sister revealed what she and her husband had decided to name their daughter. Baby-name choice may be a matter of personal preference, but research has shown how an individual's moniker can influence how they are perceived in social circles. In a 2011 study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, researchers concluded that people with names perceived positively by others were more likely to make a positive social impression. The importance of first impressions was emphasized in the study, with researchers noting that they provide a "strong basis for processing subsequent information about the person." Given the potential importance placed on a name, it is perhaps understandable that the Reddit user behind the profile u/Odd_Age1378 would have an issue with his sister's choice of name. The brother's post said she and her husband had been "struggling a lot" to come up with a name. "Even by the time of her baby shower, she didn't seem to be any closer to picking something out," the poster wrote. With time ticking on, the brother thought he would make light of the situation by sending her a list of joke names. "She's a nurse, and I'm a biology student, so all the names were medications, infections, unpleasant animals, etcetera, that all sound like lovely girls' names out of context," he wrote. Then, two weeks later, the most-unexpected thing happened: she chose a name from her brother's list. "The baby's name is Malassezia," he said. "The name of a very common fungal infection. One that my sister and I are both genetically predisposed to." Concerned that it was also nearly impossible to pronounce, the brother urged his sister to reconsider, but she insisted she "really liked the way it sounded." "She says that it's so obscure that no one will ever think twice about it," he added. The brother continued to push for a change, though, telling her that it was a completely unacceptable choice of name. She was furious and said he had no business telling her to change the name and was way out of line. The brother thinks otherwise, though, blaming her name choice on "pregnancy hormones" and warning that she would "regret the decision very soon after her daughter is born." The Expert's View Blanka Molnar, a conscious parenting coach, felt that, while a baby name is a matter of personal choice, sometimes a different perspective is needed. Molnar told Newsweek: "Every parent makes their own choices, and in an ideal world, nobody should criticize them for anything. But—and that's a big 'but'—there are cases when sharing a different point of view, especially from somebody who is not emotionally involved in the situation, might help to influence the parents' choices and decision-making process for the better." Though Molnar understood the desire among parents to give their child a "unique" name, she felt the practice could "create long-term challenges for a child, ranging from frequent misspellings and mispronunciations to misunderstandings and even identity confusion." "Some parents think only in the short term and forget to consider that a name is meant to be forever," Molnar said. "A name meant to be the same when the child is a toddler, or attends school—kids can be cruel picking on names; starts their first job; and when they turn 80 years old." What Reddit Said Those commenting on Reddit were inclined to agree with this stance. "While your sis is right that it's her parental right, you're not stepping out of line -- you're family and you're cautioning her," one wrote. "That is horrible to name a child that," a second commented. A third added: "Even without the fact that it's the name of a fungal infection, it's so clunky and with 'a**' smack dab in the middle, there's way too many opportunities for that baby to get teased when they get to school. It's just cruel. Hopefully your sister wakes up before she makes a huge mistake." Newsweek reached out to u/Odd_Age1378 to verify the details of this case.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What's the ‘ideal' number of sexual partners? Study reveals the sweet spot — and it's not what you think
A new study revealed the socially acceptable number of sexual partners for each gender — and it might surprise you. According to the study, featured in 'Social Psychological and Personality Science,' the magic number for guys is 4-5 lifetime partners — with 2-3 of them being casual hookups. The study also revealed that a first roll in the hay for men often happens between the ages of 18 and 20. For women, the magic number shrinks to 2-3 partners — with only 1-2 casual flings. Their first romp often happens between 16 and 18, originally reported by Vice. The reason why these numbers are described as 'ideal' is what you'd probably expect — there is less judgment from society if someone — man or woman — has a low body count. The higher the number — the more judgy Karens. These numbers discovered by the study are fairly low considering the average American has slept with 14 people according to a poll conducted by Talker Research for LELO. 'There are both similarities and differences in the societal evaluation of male and female sexuality,' the researchers of the ideal body count numbers wrote. 'However, contrary to common assumptions, moderate rather than extremely low or extremely high levels of sexual activity are most valued for both genders.' For the study, researchers surveyed over 340 participants in Germany to determine how society views a 25-year-old's sexual activity, including the number of partners, frequency of sex and even masturbation habits. It also pointed out how men often get dinged for not racking up enough notches on the bedpost, keeping the pressure to perform alive and well. Meanwhile, ladies still catch flak for having 'too many' partners, proving those tired double standards are far from dead. As discovered in another survey conducted last fall, one in four Americans in relationships keep their body count a steamy secret. The survey of 2,000 sexually active adults found that 26% haven't come clean about their number of past partners, with 16% admitting they lowballed the figure when asked. Why the fibbing? 60% said their partner simply never asked, while one in nine suspects their significant other might be lying about their own tally. And while 83% of singles claim they'd spill the beans, only 62% want to hear their partner's truth.
New York Post
09-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
What's the ‘ideal' number of sexual partners? Study reveals the sweet spot — and it's not what you think
A new study revealed the socially acceptable number of sexual partners for each gender — and it might surprise you. According to the study, featured in 'Social Psychological and Personality Science,' the magic number for guys is 4-5 lifetime partners — with 2-3 of them being casual hookups. The study also revealed that a first roll in the hay for men often happens between the ages of 18 and 20. Advertisement For women, the magic number shrinks to 2-3 partners — with only 1-2 casual flings. Their first romp often happens between 16 and 18, originally reported by Vice. The reason why these numbers are described as 'ideal' is what you'd probably expect — there is less judgment from society if someone — man or woman — has a low body count. The higher the number — the more judgy Karens. These numbers discovered by the study are fairly low considering the average American has slept with 14 people according to a poll conducted by Talker Research for LELO. Advertisement 'There are both similarities and differences in the societal evaluation of male and female sexuality,' the researchers of the ideal body count numbers wrote. 'However, contrary to common assumptions, moderate rather than extremely low or extremely high levels of sexual activity are most valued for both genders.' 3 According to the study, featured in 'Social Psychological and Personality Science,' the magic number for guys is 4-5 lifetime partners — with 2-3 of them being casual hookups — and a first roll in the hay often happens between ages 18 and 20. Tamani Chithambo/ – For the study, researchers surveyed over 340 participants in Germany to determine how society views a 25-year-old's sexual activity, including the number of partners, frequency of sex and even masturbation habits. Advertisement It also pointed out how men often get dinged for not racking up enough notches on the bedpost, keeping the pressure to perform alive and well. 3 For men, the 'ideal' is 4-5 partners, with 2-3 casual, and a first experience between 18-20. For women, it's 2-3 partners, 1-2 casual, and a first time between 16-18. AntonioDiaz – Meanwhile, ladies still catch flak for having 'too many' partners, proving those tired double standards are far from dead. As discovered in another survey conducted last fall, one in four Americans in relationships keep their body count a steamy secret. Advertisement 3 A survey from last fall found that one in four Americans in relationships is keeping their 'body count' a secret from their partner. Dmitriy Kapitonenko – The survey of 2,000 sexually active adults found that 26% haven't come clean about their number of past partners, with 16% admitting they lowballed the figure when asked. Why the fibbing? 60% said their partner simply never asked, while one in nine suspects their significant other might be lying about their own tally. And while 83% of singles claim they'd spill the beans, only 62% want to hear their partner's truth.
