Thin. Corseted. Short. Heroin chic. Rubenesque. Healthy. What society considers beautiful in women is ever changing. But no matter the style, one thing remains the same — women are never content with their bodies. Body image has been at the forefront for women for as long as women have been alive, but in a world of Photoshop, and the increasing use of AI images, the landscape … [Read more...] about Women and body image: A match made in frustration

What do we look for when choosing a romantic partner? How do men and women differ in their preferences for a mate? Curious to find out, Dr. Bogdan Kostic, associate professor of psychology at Missouri State University, dived into mates choice research. Kostic highlights some key things his studies have revealed. Looking at people's choice of mates Read the full transcript … [Read more...] about How do we choose our romantic partners?

Having a positive role model is key when developing as a young adult. Dr. Ashley Payne, assistant professor of psychology at Missouri State University, understands the importance of having good role models to look up to. That is why she created a mentoring program for Black girls in local high schools. “The program is called Black Girl Talk,” Payne said. “What we do is we pair … [Read more...] about Setting an example

A couple of years ago, Dr. Adena Young-Jones, psychology professor at Missouri State University, conducted a study of bullying victims. The study revealed these now college-aged students showed significantly lower academic motivation, lower levels of autonomy and reduced academic competence. This inspired her to change her focus to how microaggressions affected college … [Read more...] about Get to know microaggressions to better combat them

Science has helped us understand our world better and improve our quality of life. It can also be used for understanding human behavior and trying to influence it to benefit society. That’s the goal of the Humans Understanding Behavior (HUB) Research Lab at Missouri State University. Dr. Jordan Belisle, associate professor of psychology at Missouri State, oversees the lab. He … [Read more...] about Using science to understand human behavior