Interpersonal behavior in anticipation of pain:a naturalistic study of behavioral mimicry prior to surgery

Abstract. Introduction:. Social relationships facilitate coping with pain, but research suggests that it may be difficult to galvanize social support during an episode of acute pain. Objectives:. The current research examined whether social connections are optimized in the anticipation of pain by observing patients' mimicry of an interaction partner prior to surgery. We hypothesized that when controlling for their current experience of pain, patients' anticipation of pain would be associated with greater mimicry of an interaction partner. Methods:. Sixty-five patients were interviewed in the waiting room of a maxillofacial surgery unit prior to the removal of an impacted wisdom tooth. Patients' spontaneous mimicry of an interviewer was observed. Patients then rated the quality and intensity of their anticipated pain, as well as the intensity of their current pain and their affective distress. Results:. Anticipated pain, current pain, and affective distress were positively correlated. Current pain was associated with less frequent mimicry of an interaction partner. The zero-order correlation between anticipated pain and mimicry did not reach conventional levels of significance; however, when controlling for current pain, anticipated pain predicted more frequent mimicry of an interaction partner. The relationship between anticipated pain and mimicry was not explained by affective distress. Conclusion:. This is the first study to demonstrate that anticipated and current pain relate to behavioral mimicry in divergent ways. Further research is needed to investigate whether the current pattern of results generalizes to other interpersonal behaviors that facilitate social bonds

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to Ω0T<5.58×10-8, Ω0V<6.35×10-8, and Ω0S<1.08×10-7 at a reference frequency f0=25 Hz. © 2018 American Physical Society

Pride and prejudice: how feelings about the self influence judgments about others

March 3-13, 2011. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, Main Stage. Written by Jane Austen and Adapted by Jon Jory. Directed by Phillip M. Church. Scenic Design by Damian Chrkiewicz. Lighting Design by Tony Galaska. Costume Design by Marina Pareja. Sound Design by Alex Parayuelos. Choreography by Michal Nevitt. Dramaturgy by Taylor Cooper.https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/theatre_programs/1065/thumbnail.jp

When the Wolf Wears Sheep’s Clothing: Individual Differences in the Desire to be Liked Influence Nonconscious Behavioural Mimicry

Current research into the elicitors of nonconscious behavioral mimicry focuses almost exclusively on prosocial motives. Alternatively, the present research investigates whether the self-centered desire to be liked by others also induces mimicry. We investigate this issue by measuring the mimicry behavior of narcissists-a "dark personality" that is uniquely characterized by a desire to be liked by rather than by genuine liking for people. Narcissists are particularly motivated to form social alliances with high-status others. Hence, it was hypothesized that narcissistic participants would show more mimicry of higher status others (compared to lower status others). Support for this hypothesis was provided by a mixed within- and between-subjects field experiment in which the mimicry behavior of participants identified as being above or below average in subclinical narcissism was observed in a scripted interaction with a higher and lower status other. © The Author(s) 2013

Does Affluence Impoverish the Experience of Parenting

Acquiring greater financial resources before having children seems like an intuitive strategy for people to enhance their well-being during parenthood. However, research suggests that affluence may activate an agentic orientation, propelling people to pursue personal goals and independence from others, creating a conflict with the communal nature of parenting. Coherence between one's goals and actions has been theorized to be essential for the experience of meaning in life. Thus, we hypothesized that affluence would be associated with a diminished sense of meaning during childcare. In Study 1, using the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM), we found that socioeconomic status (SES) was negatively related to the average sense of meaning parents reported across episodes of the day when they were taking care of their children. In Study 2, a reminder of wealth produced a parallel effect; when parents were exposed to a photograph of money, they reported a lower sense of meaning in life while spending time with their kids at a children's festival. These findings contribute to our understanding of the relationship between wealth and well-being by showing that affluence can compromise a central subjective benefit of parenting-a sense of meaning in life. © 2012 Elsevier Inc