New Psychological Science Findings Link Local Prejudice to Police Militarization, Offer Hope for Fostering Belief in Science

Findings also help explain why happy people are more optimistic, how false visual memories can be perpetuated, and why feeling good often just means feeling better.

Greater Empathy in Adolescents Helps Prevent Bias-based Cyberbullying

Little is known about cyberbullying and empathy, especially as it relates harming or abusing others because of race or religion. A study is the first to examine general cyberbullying, race-based cyberbullying, and religion-based cyberbullying in young adolescents. Results show that the higher a youth scored on empathy, the lower the likelihood that they cyberbullied others. When it came to bias-based cyberbullying, higher levels of total empathy were associated with lower odds of cyberbullying others based on their race or religion.

Body shape, beyond weight, drives fat stigma for women

Fat stigma in women contributes to poor medical outcomes and negatively affects educational and economic opportunities. A new study from scientists at Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University shows that body shape, beyond overall weight, drives fat stigma. Women with overweight and obesity who carry gluteofemoral fat were less stigmatized than those who carry abdominal fat. These findings could affect how interventions for overweight and obesity are designed and delivered.

How Hospitality Industry Should Address Discrimination

After the worldwide protests that erupted over the killing of George Floyd, it is hard for me to imagine any person, company, or institution, continuing to discount the role that racism plays in our society. People all over are demanding an end to racial discrimination that is embedded in our social systems.  In hospitality, emerging research has shined light on the perception of discrimination among industry workers, but personally, it comes as no surprise to me.

“Prescribing Art” course teaches med students to recognize bias and better address racial disparities

Can art help doctors better understand their patients and address racial disparities? An innovative collaboration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham uses art to help medical students hone their observational skills, in order to make more accurate diagnoses. “Prescribing Art: How Observation Enhances Medicine” is a partnership between the School of Medicine, the Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.