Tag Archives: culture

Why are the French miserable?

Posted on January 29, 2012 by

According to a recent slew of books, French children don’t throw food. And French women don’t get fat. I have noticed that they often have nice scarves. So chic. But does that make them happy? No. According to happiness surveys, … Continue reading →

Posted in New research | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Competition and the gender pay gap

Posted on December 12, 2010 by

The gender pay gap: discrimination, culture or women’s preferences? There are so many reasons put forward for the gap’s continued persistence. One possible reason that has been gaining traction is that women may be less competitive compared to men. Are … Continue reading →

Posted in New research, Thoughtbox | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Cheating for strangers

Posted on November 13, 2010 by

Scenario 1: Would you file an incorrect tax return if it gained you £1000? Scenario 2: Would you file an incorrect tax return if it gained you £500? What if scenario 2 meant that a friend also profited from your … Continue reading →

Posted in New research | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting ahead of the Joneses

Posted on November 9, 2010 by

She had read in the “Boudoir Chat” of one of the Sunday papers that the smartest women were using the new pigeon-blood notepaper with white ink; and rather against her mother’s advice she had ordered a large supply, with her … Continue reading →

Posted in New research | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Thoughts about the WEIRD people

Posted on September 2, 2010 by

Earlier in the week, whilst perusing the Freakonomics blog, I came across this interesting article about some new research which suggests that the psychology of WEIRD people, aka people from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic societies (I know – … Continue reading →

Posted in New research | Tagged , , | Leave a comment