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The Caveman Goes To Hollywood

Cinema through a Darwinian lens.

Coaching
Slugging Your Way to The Top

David Lundberg Kenrick on December 25, 2010

Why we think anyone interested in psychology or human nature should go see the Fighter, even if you don’t like fighting, you don’t like lower class Micks, and you don’t like spending ten bucks

Why we think anyone interested in psychology or human nature should go see the Fighter, even if you don’t like fighting, you don’t like lower class Micks, and you don’t like spending ten bucks

Media
Vengeance in Disneyland?!

David Lundberg Kenrick on July 16, 2010

 There is a psychology of revenge and a psychology of forgiveness.  Which one do you expect Junior to see when you take him to see a Disney-Pixar film?  

 There is a psychology of revenge and a psychology of forgiveness.  Which one do you expect Junior to see when you take him to see a Disney-Pixar film?  

Creativity
Fathers, sons, and dragons: Three generations bond at the movies

David Lundberg Kenrick on June 17, 2010

Almost 30 years ago, my father and I sat together in a dark theater to watch Return of the Jedi.   Recently, we drove with my son and my (much) younger brother to sit together in a dark theater to watch the animated movie How To Train Your Dragon.  The boys loved the movie, and we learned a little bit more about the psychology of father-son bonds

Almost 30 years ago, my father and I sat together in a dark theater to watch Return of the Jedi.   Recently, we drove with my son and my (much) younger brother to sit together in a dark theater to watch the animated movie How To Train Your Dragon.  The boys loved the movie, and we learned a little bit more about the psychology of father-son bonds

Humor
What secret is your spouse keeping from you?

David Lundberg Kenrick on May 28, 2010

The other morning my dad discovered a shocking family secret:  His own father had -- unbeknownst to him, to his sisters, or to their mother -- fathered a child with another woman.  That afternoon, he was still in an unsettled frame of mind, so we went to see a movie. We knew little about the film, so were surprised when it turned out to be about a family man who had, as a young fellow, fathered a child outside of wedlock, and then kept it secret for two decades. (coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)

The other morning my dad discovered a shocking family secret:  His own father had -- unbeknownst to him, to his sisters, or to their mother -- fathered a child with another woman.  That afternoon, he was still in an unsettled frame of mind, so we went to see a movie. We knew little about the film, so were surprised when it turned out to be about a family man who had, as a young fellow, fathered a child outside of wedlock, and then kept it secret for two decades. (coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)

Sport and Competition
Videogames, Fine Art, and Roger Ebert’s Surprising Controversy

David Lundberg Kenrick on May 6, 2010

You might find it astonishing to hear that Roger Ebert stirred up a massive storm of protest by suggesting that videogames are not art.  But considered in light of modern research and theory about the evolution of the human brain, what appears to be a tempest in a teapot is actually anything but trivial. (Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)

You might find it astonishing to hear that Roger Ebert stirred up a massive storm of protest by suggesting that videogames are not art.  But considered in light of modern research and theory about the evolution of the human brain, what appears to be a tempest in a teapot is actually anything but trivial. (Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)

Environment
How Al Gore, James Cameron, and YOU are Destroying Earth

David Lundberg Kenrick on April 21, 2010

 Pro-environmental attitudes often ironically inspire behaviors that are bad for the environment.  What can we do about it?   Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick  

 Pro-environmental attitudes often ironically inspire behaviors that are bad for the environment.  What can we do about it?   Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick  

Memory
Survival Is Memorable, But Do You Want to Go There?

David Lundberg Kenrick on April 2, 2010

How did the Hurt Locker beat out 9 other nominees for Best Picture, nearly all of which were more popular at the box office? Part of the answer is suggested by some intriguing research demonstrating people allocate special cognitive resources to thinking about survival. But then, if those who watched The Hurt Locker found it so memorable, why didn’t more people see it? 

How did the Hurt Locker beat out 9 other nominees for Best Picture, nearly all of which were more popular at the box office? Part of the answer is suggested by some intriguing research demonstrating people allocate special cognitive resources to thinking about survival. But then, if those who watched The Hurt Locker found it so memorable, why didn’t more people see it? 

Intelligence
Evolutionary Psychology and The Oscar Race: The Final Lap

David Lundberg Kenrick on March 7, 2010

2009 was a great year for movies, and the contenders for Best Picture dealt with many facets of the classical evolutionary themes. Which movie should win?    

2009 was a great year for movies, and the contenders for Best Picture dealt with many facets of the classical evolutionary themes. Which movie should win?    

Depression
Mating budget bankruptcy

David Lundberg Kenrick on March 6, 2010

What would it be like to be obese, friendless, and poverty stricken, living with a mother who hates you, and a father who rapes you? Most of us probably don’t even want to think about such questions, much less sit through a movie about just such a life. Nevertheless, if you haven’t seen Precious, you should. Not only does it tap interesting psychological processes, it may make you feel differently about your own life. Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

What would it be like to be obese, friendless, and poverty stricken, living with a mother who hates you, and a father who rapes you? Most of us probably don’t even want to think about such questions, much less sit through a movie about just such a life. Nevertheless, if you haven’t seen Precious, you should. Not only does it tap interesting psychological processes, it may make you feel differently about your own life. Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Positive Psychology
When Life Imitates a Made-For-TV Movie

David Lundberg Kenrick on March 4, 2010

Michael Oher was a poor black kid taken into the home of a wealthy white family. They fed him, clothed him, and tutored him, and helped him turn his life around.  Michael’s tested IQ went up 20 or 30 points, he went to college, and went on to become a highly payed NFL football player. The story is a celebration of positive psychology – of astounding acts of kindness, courage, and overcoming adversity. So what’s not to love about a movie that tells this wonderful story?--Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Michael Oher was a poor black kid taken into the home of a wealthy white family. They fed him, clothed him, and tutored him, and helped him turn his life around.  Michael’s tested IQ went up 20 or 30 points, he went to college, and went on to become a highly payed NFL football player. The story is a celebration of positive psychology – of astounding acts of kindness, courage, and overcoming adversity. So what’s not to love about a movie that tells this wonderful story?--Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Media
The Morality of Mayhem and Murder

David Lundberg Kenrick on March 3, 2010

Psychological research suggests that depictions of violence in the media have numerous adverse effects, such as desensitizing viewers to real violence. What in the world could make a liberal psychologist, who has reviewed all this research, enjoy a film in which the central characters go after their victims with bombs, baseball bats, and scalping knives? Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Psychological research suggests that depictions of violence in the media have numerous adverse effects, such as desensitizing viewers to real violence. What in the world could make a liberal psychologist, who has reviewed all this research, enjoy a film in which the central characters go after their victims with bombs, baseball bats, and scalping knives? Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Priming
Does God exist, and if so, who cares?

David Lundberg Kenrick on February 18, 2010

Why do people believe in God?  This is a question several evolutionary psychologists have been asking of late, and it’s one that the Coen Brothers address in A Serious Man. Will this movie stand as a deep comedic treatment of the meaning of life, next to Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, or is more like a philosophical treatise written by the stoner Dude in the Big Lebowski?  

Why do people believe in God?  This is a question several evolutionary psychologists have been asking of late, and it’s one that the Coen Brothers address in A Serious Man. Will this movie stand as a deep comedic treatment of the meaning of life, next to Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, or is more like a philosophical treatise written by the stoner Dude in the Big Lebowski?  

Relationships
For a Psychological Lift on Valentine’s Day: Watch Up

David Lundberg Kenrick on February 12, 2010

Are we really saying you'll get more psychologically out of a Disney cartoon - with a schmaltzy Hollywood ending and the grumpy aging voice of Ed Asner - than out of an avant-garde movie that takes an edgy look at modern life and stars George Clooney at his cleverest coolest best? Up celebrates the social contacts that psychological researchers have shown so important to health and happiness, and will send you and those you love (regardless of your ages) away feeling both perceptually rewarded and glad to be connected.  Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Are we really saying you'll get more psychologically out of a Disney cartoon - with a schmaltzy Hollywood ending and the grumpy aging voice of Ed Asner - than out of an avant-garde movie that takes an edgy look at modern life and stars George Clooney at his cleverest coolest best? Up celebrates the social contacts that psychological researchers have shown so important to health and happiness, and will send you and those you love (regardless of your ages) away feeling both perceptually rewarded and glad to be connected.  Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick

Relationships
Modern technology as intimacy’s enemy: Are we all “Up in the Air?”

David Lundberg Kenrick on February 10, 2010

Relationships with families, lovers, and friends, are costly.  Modern technology -- in the form of planes that allow us to move far away, and communication devices such as cell phones and computers that allow us to maintain some semblance of contact -- can free us from those costs. But at what price?  

Relationships with families, lovers, and friends, are costly.  Modern technology -- in the form of planes that allow us to move far away, and communication devices such as cell phones and computers that allow us to maintain some semblance of contact -- can free us from those costs. But at what price?  

Bias
Two Kinds of Bad Guys: District 9 and Human Prejudice

David Lundberg Kenrick on February 3, 2010

UBC psychologist Mark Schaller’s research demonstrates big differences between prejudice based on fear and prejudice based on disgust. Schaller notes that movies exploit both kinds of prejudices – sometimes depicting big bad burly guys with guns, other times depicting oozing, slimy, disease-ridden aliens.  District 9 manages to turn the volume up on both fear and disgust at the same time, while depicting a nearly hopeless and degenerate world full of prejudice.  How does it do all these nasty things in a way that is psychologically appealing enough to merit a nomination for Best Picture? (Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)

UBC psychologist Mark Schaller’s research demonstrates big differences between prejudice based on fear and prejudice based on disgust. Schaller notes that movies exploit both kinds of prejudices – sometimes depicting big bad burly guys with guns, other times depicting oozing, slimy, disease-ridden aliens.  District 9 manages to turn the volume up on both fear and disgust at the same time, while depicting a nearly hopeless and degenerate world full of prejudice.  How does it do all these nasty things in a way that is psychologically appealing enough to merit a nomination for Best Picture? (Coauthored by Douglas T. Kenrick)