562 research outputs found
(Mis)perceptions of inequality
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Laypeople's beliefs about the current distribution of outcomes such as income and wealth in their country influence their attitudes toward issues ranging from taxation to healthcare â but how accurate are these beliefs? We review the burgeoning literature on (mis)perceptions of inequality. First, we show that people on average misperceive current levels of inequality, typically underestimating the extent of inequality in their country. Second, we delineate potential causes of these misperceptions, including people's overreliance on cues from their local environment, leading to their erroneous beliefs about both the overall distributions of wealth and income and their place in those distributions. Third, we document that these (mis)perceptions of inequality â but not actual levels of inequality â drive behavior and preferences for redistribution. More promisingly, we review research suggesting that correcting misperceptions influences preferences and policy outcomes.We are grateful to the Foundations of Human Behavior Initiative at Harvard University for financial support
Budging Beliefs, Nudging Behaviour
This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this record.Nudges have become a popular tool for behaviour change; but, some interventions fail to replicate,
even when the identical, previously successful intervention is used. One cause of this problem is
that people default to using some of or all of the previously-successful existing nudges for any
problem â the âkitchen sinkâ approach. We argue that the success of an intervention depends on
understanding peopleâs current behaviour and beliefs to ensure that any nudge will actually
âbudgeâ them from their current beliefs. We introduce the Beliefs-Barriers-Context (âBBCâ)
model, with three components: understanding beliefs, barriers, and context to change behaviour
through a budge. Designing a budge has the goal of identifying the psychological mechanism that
drives a target behaviour, focusing on the psychology of the target population before attempting
to change that behaviour. In contrast to the âkitchen sinkâ approach, budges are best complemented
with mechanism experiments to identify what undergirds behaviour change. Moving away from
simply nudging behaviour to budging mindsâby understanding beliefs, barriers and contextâhas
the potential to inform both the successes and failures of behavioural interventions
Does social connection turn good deeds into good feelings? On the value of putting the 'social' in prosocial spending
When are the emotional benefits of generous behavior most likely to emerge? In three studies, we demonstrate that the hedonic benefits of generous spending are most likely when spending promotes positive social connection. Study 1 shows that people feel happier after giving more to charity, but only when they give to someone connected with the cause. Studies 2 and 3 show that the emotional rewards associated with giving to friends or acquaintances are greatest in situations that facilitate social connection. Thus, social connection may be important for turning good deeds into good feelings, and maximizing connectedness between givers and recipients may enhance the emotional payoff of charitable initiatives
Investing in others: Prosocial spending for (pro)social change
In this chapter we explore whether prosocial spending - spending money on others - can have postive outcomes for spenders, recipients, and the broader community. We begin by briefly summarizing the literature on the relationship between money and happiness. Next, we review our research on the benefits of prosocial spending for happiness, along with other components of well-being. we present our findings at four levels, starting first with the consequences of prosocial spending for individuls, and then extending this discussion outward to dyads, and organizations. Finally, we offer several practical strategies for utilizing the lessons our research. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V
Invisible Inequality Leads to Punishing the Poor and Rewarding the Rich
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Cambridge University Press via the DOI in this record.Four experiments examine how lack of awareness of inequality affect behaviour towards
the rich and poor. In experiment 1, participants who became aware that wealthy individuals
donated a smaller percentage of their income switched from rewarding the wealthy to
rewarding the poor. In experiments 2 and 3, participants who played a public goods gameâ
and were assigned incomes reflective of the U.S. income distribution either at random or
on meritâpunished the poor (for small absolute contributions) and rewarded the rich (for
large absolute contributions) when incomes were unknown; when incomes were revealed,
participants punished the rich (for the low percentage of income contributed) and rewarded
the poor (for their high percentage). In experiment 4, participants provided with public
education contributions for five New York school districts levied additional taxes on
mostly poorer school districts when incomes were unknown, but targeted wealthier districts
when incomes were revealed. These results shed light on how income transparency shapes
preferences for equity and redistribution. We discuss implications for policy-makers
Long-Term Exercise Training Attenuates Age-Related Diastolic Dysfunction: Association of Myocardial Collagen Cross-Linking
The incidence of diastolic heart failure increases dramatically with age. We investigated the impact of long-term exercise training on age-related diastolic dysfunction. Old (25-month-old) male Fischer 344 rats were studied after 12 weeks of treadmill exercise training or sedentary cage life (N=7, in each group). We determined cardiac performance using a pressure-volume conductance catheter and magnetic resonance imaging. Collagen volume fraction (CVF) and myocardial collagen solubility by pepsin as an index of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) cross-linked collagen were measured. The maximal slope of systolic pressure increment (+dP/dt) and the slope of end-systolic pressure-volume relation were higher, and end diastolic volume (EDV), ÎEDV (the percentage of the EDV increment-to-baseline EDV) and the slope of end-diastolic pressure-volume relation were lower in training group. The maximal slope of diastolic pressure decrement (-dP/dt) and time constant of LV pressure decay (Ï) had no difference. AGEs cross-linked collagen, not CVF was reduced by exercise training. Long-term exercise training appears to attenuate age-related deterioration in cardiac systolic function and myocardial stiffness and could be reduce in pathologic AGEs cross-linked collagen in myocardium
MicroRNA degradation by a conserved target RNA regulates animal behavior
International audiencemicroRNAs (miRNAs) repress target transcripts through partial complementarity. By contrast, highly complementary miRNA-binding sites within viral and artificially engineered transcripts induce miRNA degradation in vitro and in cell lines. Here, we show that a genome-encoded transcript harboring a near-perfect and deeply conserved miRNA-binding site for miR-29 controls zebrafish and mouse behavior. This transcript originated in basal vertebrates as a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and evolved to the protein-coding gene NREP in mammals, where the miR-29-binding site is located within the 3âČ UTR. We show that the near-perfect miRNA site selectively triggers miR-29b destabilization through 3âČ trimming and restricts its spatial expression in the cerebellum. Genetic disruption of the miR-29 site within mouse Nrep results in ectopic expression of cerebellar miR-29b and impaired coordination and motor learning. Thus, we demonstrate an endogenous target-RNA-directed miRNA degradation event and its requirement for animal behavio
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