News category: News

NEW YORK TIMES: When a Parent’s ‘I Love You’ Means ‘Do as I SaySeptember 14, 2009 by Walter

September 14th 2009.

 

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“In 2004, two Israeli researchers, Avi Assor and Guy Roth, joined Edward L. Deci, a leading American expert on the psychology of motivation, in asking more than 100 college students whether the love they had received from their parents had seemed to depend on whether they had succeeded in school, practiced hard for sports, been considerate toward others or suppressed emotions like anger and fear.

It turned out that children who received conditional approval were indeed somewhat more likely to act as the parent wanted. But compliance came at a steep price. First, these children tended to resent and dislike their parents. Second, they were apt to say that the way they acted was often due more to a “strong internal pressure” than to “a real sense of choice.” Moreover, their happiness after succeeding at something was usually short-lived, and they often felt guilty or ashamed.

Click here for the full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15mind.html?_r=0

By Alfie Kohn

ANOTHER SPECIAL ISSUE: “SDT, Physical Activity, and Well-Being”September 1, 2009 by Walter

SPECIAL ISSUE: SDT articles featured in Canadian Psychology’s August 2008 special issueAugust 1, 2009 by Walter

SPECIAL ISSUE: Gagné and Deci’s 2005 article, “Self-determination theory and work motivation,”July 1, 2009 by Walter

July 2009.

Gagné and Deci’s 2005 article, “Self-determination theory and work motivation,” appeared in the Journal of Organizational Behavior’s 30th anniversary edition as one of the 8 most influential articles published in JOB since its founding in 1980
Read more at:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/job.v30:5/issuetoc

ABC NEWS: Looks, Money, Fame Don’t Bring HappinessMay 22, 2009 by Walter

May 22nd 2009.

 

Happiness-Hands1“Having lots of money, good looks and fame may sound like a sure ticket to happiness, but a new study suggests otherwise.

Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York tracked 147 college graduates, evaluating their goals and their happiness at two points in time — one year after graduation, and then 12 months later.

“The attainment of extrinsic, or ‘American Dream,’ goals does not contribute to happiness at all in this group of people, but it actually does contribute to some ill being,” said study author Edward Deci, a psychology professor. The study is published in the June issue of The Journal of Research in Personality.”

Click here for the full article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=7658253&page=1

By Kathleen Doheny

RESEARCH STUDY: “Players Love the Game Not the Gore – Psychology Study Shows That Violence Does Not Motivate Video Game Players.”February 16, 2009 by Walter

January 16th 2009.

 

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“These elements, said coauthor Richard Ryan, a motivational psychologist at the University, represent “the core reasons that people find games so entertaining and compelling. Conflict and war are a common and powerful context for providing these experiences, but it is the need satisfaction in the gameplay that matters more than the violent content itself.”

Scott Rigby, president of Immersyve and a co-investigator in the study, said the findings should be of practical help to the game development industry. “Much of the debate about game violence has pitted the assumed commercial value of violence against social concern about the harm it may cause,” explained Rigby. “Our study shows that the violence may not be the real value component, freeing developers to design away from violence while at the same time broadening their market.”

Click here for the full article:

http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3303

By the University of Rochester

SCIENCE NEWS: Gamers crave control and competence, not carnageFebruary 14, 2009 by Walter

February 14th  2009.

 

the-house-of-the-dead-iii-20120216033423154-3603556Blood, guts and gore aren’t what thrill avid gamers when they slaughter zombies in The House of the Dead III video game, a new study suggests. Instead, feelings of control and competence are what the players crave. The new research, led by psychologist Richard Ryan at the University of Rochester in New York, appears online January 16 in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

“A common belief held by many gamers and many in the video game industry — that violence is what makes a game fun — is strongly contradicted by these studies,” comments Craig Anderson, a psychologist who directs the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University in Ames.

Originally posted at:

Gamers crave control and competence, not carnage

 

ScienCentral: Violence Not What Attracts Video Gamers, Says StudyJanuary 16, 2009 by Walter

Richard Ryan interviewed by ScienCentral on a new SDT study, released today, showing that “violence” is not what attracts players. This comes just a few days after a U.S. congressman proposed legislation that would brand violent video games with a health warning. The research could be reassuring news for parents.

University of Rochester Press Release on Study.

 

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Why your happiness matters to the planetJuly 22, 2008 by Walter

July 22nd 2008.

Scientists say this need for community may be a result of humanity’s long evolution in groups. Living together conferred an advantage, they say. In the hunter-gatherer world, relatedness, autonomy, curiosity, and competence – the very things that psychologists find make people happy – “had payoffs that were pretty clear,” says Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in New York. “Aspiring for a lot of material goods is actually unhappiness-produ­cing,” he says. “People who value material good and wealth also are people who are treading more heavily on the earth – and not getting happier.”

Click here for the full article:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Living-Green/2008/0722/why-your-happiness-matters-to-the-planet

By Moises Velasquez-Manoff, Staff Writer of The Christian Science Monitor