Opposable thumbs are great, but they’re not what makes us special. Ask just about any social scientist about the thing that has allowed human beings to accomplish our most awe-inspiring feats of art, science, and progress, and they’ll likely say something about the importance of society and social interaction. What makes us smart isn’t just…
Tag: psychology
Why We See Humanity in Everyday Things
Research and article done in collaboration with Isabella Kuo Introduction Why do we choose to assign a gender to our car? Why do we apologize when we bump into a piece of furniture? Why do we yell at our computer when it struggles to work? Why do we give names to our toys? Though talking…
Humanlike Objects and our Social Minds
Research and article done in collaboration with Isabella Kuo Why do we yell at our computer when it struggles to work? Why do some cars look like they’re smiling? Why does your guitar seem free-spirited? This is because of our innate human tendency for anthropomorphism: the ascription of humanlike characteristics, intentions or emotions in nonhuman…
Changing Your Mind
“Do you like to get high? I’m too afraid to try.” These words are permanently etched onto my brain after growing up a fanatic of Big Sugar, listening to Gordie Johnson croon such lines over my speakers while listening to “The Scene” from their 1998 release, Heated. One can only guess as to which of…