Kurt Gray
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View article: Health Behaviors Are Moralized When Perceived to Cause Harm
Health Behaviors Are Moralized When Perceived to Cause Harm Open
People readily moralize health, whether by criticizing smokers or treating exercise as noble. Drawing from the theory of dyadic morality, we theorized that people moralize health most strongly when they perceive poor health as a source of …
View article: Sticks and Stones: Investigating the Belief that Words Can Harm
Sticks and Stones: Investigating the Belief that Words Can Harm Open
People differ in their belief that speech can cause lasting psychological harm. We present the ten-item Words Can Harm Scale (WCHS) as a valid and reliable measure of this belief. Items assess attitudes about harmful speech (e.g., "Vulnera…
View article: For Black men, being tall increases threat stereotyping and police stops
For Black men, being tall increases threat stereotyping and police stops Open
Height seems beneficial for men in terms of salaries and success; however, past research on height examines only White men. For Black men, height may be more costly than beneficial, primarily signaling threat rather than competence. Three …
View article: Health Behaviors are Moralized when Perceived to Cause Harm
Health Behaviors are Moralized when Perceived to Cause Harm Open
People readily moralize health, whether by criticizing smokers or treating exercise as noble. Drawing from the theory of dyadic morality, we theorized that people moralize health most strongly when they perceive poor health as a source of …
View article: The faces of God in America: Revealing religious diversity across people and politics
The faces of God in America: Revealing religious diversity across people and politics Open
Literature and art have long depicted God as a stern and elderly white man, but do people actually see Him this way? We use reverse correlation to understand how a representative sample of American Christians visualize the face of God, whi…
View article: Perceiving opponents as self-disclosing bridges partisan divides
Perceiving opponents as self-disclosing bridges partisan divides Open
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that …
View article: Unfollowing hyperpartisan social media influencers durably reduces out-party animosity
Unfollowing hyperpartisan social media influencers durably reduces out-party animosity Open
There is considerable debate over whether and how social media contributes to polarization. Research suggests that a small number of hyperpartisan “influencers,” or highly followed accounts, produce the vast majority of misinformation and …
View article: Pet owners often see dogs as soulmates and value them more than human lives
Pet owners often see dogs as soulmates and value them more than human lives Open
Dogs have ascended to core family members in American households. Across three studies, we show that modern dogs now occupy roles historically reserved for close human relationships and often receive greater moral concern than people. Appr…
View article: Perceiving Opponents as Self-Disclosing Bridges Partisan Divides
Perceiving Opponents as Self-Disclosing Bridges Partisan Divides Open
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that …
View article: Could a Rising Robot Workforce Make Humans Less Prejudiced?
Could a Rising Robot Workforce Make Humans Less Prejudiced? Open
Automation is becoming ever more prevalent, with robot workers replacing many human employees. Many perspectives have examined the economic impact of a robot workforce, but here we consider its social impact: How will the rise of robot wor…
View article: Health Behaviors are Moralized when Perceived to Cause Harm
Health Behaviors are Moralized when Perceived to Cause Harm Open
People readily moralize health, whether by criticizing smokers or treating exercise as noble. Drawing from the theory of dyadic morality, we theorized that people moralize health most strongly when they perceive poor health as a source of …
View article: Psychological Science in the Wake of COVID-19: Social, Methodological, and Metascientific Considerations
Psychological Science in the Wake of COVID-19: Social, Methodological, and Metascientific Considerations Open
The COVID-19 pandemic has extensively changed the state of psychological science from what research questions psychologists can ask to which methodologies psychologists can use to investigate them. In this article, we offer a perspective o…
View article: A large-scale investigation of everyday moral dilemmas
A large-scale investigation of everyday moral dilemmas Open
Questions of right and wrong are central to daily life, yet scientific understanding of everyday moral dilemmas is limited. We conducted a data-driven analysis of these phenomena by combining state-of-the-art tools in machine learning with…
View article: Using “Balanced Pragmatism” in Political Discussions Increases Cross-Partisan Respect
Using “Balanced Pragmatism” in Political Discussions Increases Cross-Partisan Respect Open
Synthesizing research on wisdom and a real-world practitioner intervention, we develop and test a strategy for presenting political views that fosters cross-partisan respect. This strategy of balanced pragmatism combines two aspects of "wi…
View article: People's Preferences for Inequality Respond Instantly to Changes in Status: A Simulated Society Experiment of Conflict Between the Rich and the Poor
People's Preferences for Inequality Respond Instantly to Changes in Status: A Simulated Society Experiment of Conflict Between the Rich and the Poor Open
Most people in the United States agree they want some income inequality but debate exactly how much is fair. High-status people generally prefer more inequality than low-status individuals. Here we examine how much preferences for inequali…
View article: Perceiving Opponents as Self-Disclosing Bridges Partisan Divides
Perceiving Opponents as Self-Disclosing Bridges Partisan Divides Open
Political polarization is driving disconnection and animosity between opponents in the United States. We propose perceiving opponents as self-disclosing helps foster connection and reduce animosity. Building on research demonstrating that …
View article: Purity is still a problem
Purity is still a problem Open
Our recent review demonstrates that "purity" is a messy construct with at least nine popular scientific understandings. Cultural beliefs about self-control help unify some of these understandings, but much messiness remains. The harm-centr…
View article: Generalized Morality Culturally Evolves as an Adaptive Heuristic in Large Social Networks
Generalized Morality Culturally Evolves as an Adaptive Heuristic in Large Social Networks Open
Why do people assume that a generous person should also be honest? Why do we even use words like "moral" and "immoral"? We explore these questions with a new model of how people perceive moral character. We propose that people vary in the …
View article: Cultural Differences in People's Reactions and Applications of Robots, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence
Cultural Differences in People's Reactions and Applications of Robots, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence Open
Although research in cultural psychology has established that virtually all human behaviors and cognitions are in some ways shaped by culture, culture has been surprisingly absent from the emerging literature on the psychology of technolog…
View article: A Toolkit for Faith Leaders Facing Crisis and Division
A Toolkit for Faith Leaders Facing Crisis and Division Open
The ALRM Framework offers practical guidance for faith leadersnavigating crises and divisions within their congregations. Centeredaround four key steps—Assess, Listen, Respond, and Maintain—thistoolkit equips leaders with trauma-informed s…
View article: AI language model rivals expert ethicist in perceived moral expertise
AI language model rivals expert ethicist in perceived moral expertise Open
People view AI as possessing expertise across various fields, but the perceived quality of AI-generated moral expertise remains uncertain. Recent work suggests that large language models (LLMs) perform well on tasks designed to assess mora…
View article: Moral Panics on Social Media Are Fueled by Signals of Virality
Moral Panics on Social Media Are Fueled by Signals of Virality Open
Moral panics have regularly erupted in society, but they appear almost daily on social media. We propose that social media helps fuel moral panics by combining perceived societal threats with a powerful signal of social amplification-viral…
View article: Voluntary and involuntary motor behaviours in the varieties of religious experience
Voluntary and involuntary motor behaviours in the varieties of religious experience Open
Religion is a widespread feature of human life. Religions typically include both distinctive varieties of experience and also a set of foundational beliefs. An additional, but often overlooked, part of many religions is their expression th…