r/psychology

I am a social psychologist and the lead author of this study! It's open access, with full supplemental materials, data, and code publicly available. Happy to answer questions.

Using data only from historical slave-owning states, we looked at whether the county-level share of enslaved people in 1860 predicts Black-White mortality disparities in 2010-2020. "Our model estimates ~22 additional deaths per 100,000 among Black Americans relative to White Americans for every 10% increase in the 1860 enslaved population."

We also tested a theoretical model in which historical slavery left a legacy of structural inequality which is why it predicts mortality disparities. We found evidence consistent with that. "Path analysis models showed that segregation, economic inequality, and racial disparities in poverty and education statistically mediated" the relationship between slavery and mortality.

Some of you may be asking, "How can we know anything about causality between things that have decades between them?" Fair question! All models control for a wide range of possible confounders, but controls alone aren't enough. We also used a "causal identification strategy" described extensively in the paper and supplemental materials. Even a simple summary is a lot, so I'm putting that in a comment.

Interested in peoples thoughts!

Sensory Overload Tied to Autism and Anxiety—Not ADHD. Sensory over-responsivity was associated with autism traits, anxiety, and altered brain connectivity.

Rising number of Americans who identify as political independents is driven by genuine dissatisfaction with their own preferred party, rather than a desire to hide their political leanings to avoid social judgment. Trend of political independence reflects real frustration with American politics.

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Gap between Democratic and Republican sponsorship of civil rights bills widened in rapid bursts during 1994 and 2014. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to sponsor bills supporting nearly every group. Sharpest divergence was in legislation supporting racial minorities, LGBTQ+, and women.

Historical slavery predicts contemporary disparities in mortality between Black and White Americans

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A Prisoner's Dilemma experiment using brain-scans showed that when men see an honest player punished with an electric shock, the brain regions associated with empathy lit up, and when they saw a cheater punished, the brain's reward centers lit up. With women, empathy extended even to the cheater

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The real reason many Americans are cutting ties with their parents and siblings

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Nearly half of dementia cases may be linked to risks you can change

Stop saying 'let me know if you need anything,' says psychologist—how to talk to a friend who's struggling

What We Didn’t Learn from Vietnam

Sexually assertive individuals tend to be more satisfied with their relationships, study finds. Sexual esteem was associated with both body appreciation and sexual assertiveness. Sexual esteem is the extent to which people view themselves as worthy, competent, and confident sexual partners.

Top album releases linked to rise in fatal crashes as ‘distracted’ drivers access music. Harvard study finds traffic fatalities increase by 15% on release dates compared with similar days either side.