Trust me, I’m a scientist
Although we do fall out occasionally, human society is notable for its degree of cooperation between individuals
Cooperation presents a difficulty for evolutionary theory, which at its simplest suggests that individuals should just look out for themselves. Research suggests that there is a genetic component underlying this phenomenon, in which even less-closely related individuals help each other.
More sophisticated analyses, though, show that helping others can bring you benefits – the phenomenon of indirect reciprocity: you help somebody, somebody else helps you. This analysis can explain how factors such as reputation, perceived moral character and other aspects of social communication can develop.
We know a little about the brain systems responsible for these phenomena. Logical reasoning plays a part but is not the whole story. One interesting player is the hormone oxytocin, which encourages bonding. When given to subjects playing a risky investment game, it makes them more trusting of their (unidentified) partners.
Lead image:The US Food and Drug Administration/Flickr CC BY
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Animal personalities
Pet owners would probably argue that their animals have their own particular personalities, above and beyond that of their breeds. That could just reflect wishful thinking on the part of the owner, but there is some evidence that an animal like a dog does have individual personality traits
Moody blues
Does our state of mind affect our response to illness?
Happiness
Research has tended to look at the dark side of life – anxiety, depression and so on. The flipside, happiness or contentment, has been neglected, but ‘positive psychology’ is now receiving more attention