Social Sciences

The tension created between the supposed egalitarianism and the hierarchical realities of the American workplace can often cause conversational “black holes” during which employees avoid calling their bosses by any name, according to a Penn State researcher.

“Uncertainty over whether it is appropriate to call your boss ’Bob’ or ’Mr. Smith’ can create tension for employees in today’s workplace,” says Dr. David A. Morand, professor of management at Penn

Several popular plans for the revamping the Social Security system contain clauses that could fail to significantly protect older women, according to research reported in the February 2005 issue of The Gerontologist (Vol. 45, No. 1). The study discusses the potential effects of implementing several different minimum benefits scenarios in Social Security, which have accompanied proposals to reform the program.

While Social Security does not currently have a minimum benefit, this w

Do people tend to select romantic partners that are similar to them or opposite to them? And does spouse similarity lead to marital happiness? In one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken on these questions, researchers at the University of Iowa find that people tend to marry those who are similar in attitudes, religion and values. However, it is similarity in personality that appears to be more important in having a happy marriage. The findings appear in the February issue of the J

Internet dating is proving a much more successful way to find long-term romance and friendship for thousands of people than was previously thought, new research shows.

A new study of online dating site members has found that when couples who had built up a significant relationship by e-mailing or chatting online met for the first time, 94 per cent went on to see each other again. Perhaps surprisingly, the study, by Dr Jeff Gavin, of the University of Bath, also found that men were

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered why people are attracted to certain facial types when in pursuit of romance.

Academics have discovered a large majority of women prefer men with feminine facial features when in pursuit of a stable long-term relationship, as feminine looking men are not so likely to stray.

Dr Tony Little, from the University’s School of Biological Sciences, launched his study on the Internet, asking participants to rate the attract

Effect pronounced when caregivers experience own health problems or care for especially needy spouses

When elderly people need assistance with the activities of daily life, one might assume that the best people to care for them would be the ones who know them best–their spouses. But, as a team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, being married to one’s caregiver could be a prescr