Verified by 
I’ve been writing at Psychology Today since 2016. Here are my most popular posts over the last three years, along with a short excerpt.
Readers enjoy #1 the most, and seem to get the most upset when reading #5.
1. The Science Behind Why People Follow the Crowd
There is a heuristic most of us use to determine what to do, think, say, and buy: the principle of social proof. To learn what is correct, we look at what other people are doing. In his bestselling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, psychologist Robert Cialdini writes, “Whether the question is what to do with an empty popcorn box in a movie theater, how fast to drive on a certain stretch of highway, or how to eat the chicken at a dinner party, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer.” Social proof is a shortcut to decide how to act.
2. Are Military Members "The Lowest of Our Low"?
Accord to the Pentagon, 71 percent of Americans aged 17 to 24 would fail to qualify for military service. The reasons are primarily due to educational, behavioral, criminal, or fitness issues. In sum, enlisted military members are better educated, get higher test scores, and come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds than their similarly aged peers.
3. The Science Behind What Tinder Is Doing to Your Brain
Users do not know when, while swiping, they will match with an individual they deem attractive. And users do not know when, after engaging in a conversation, a match will respond. Moreover, an individual’s profile will still appear in the apps of other users who are swiping, even while the individual does not have the app open. This means that when users check their apps after a prolonged period of time, they often discover that they have gained new matches. This unpredictable quality keeps users curious and hooked.
4. 5 Reasons Why Big Muscles Matter, to Men and Women
Some evolutionary psychologists have argued that throughout human history, dominance has been more important than attractiveness for men’s mating success. Take beards. Evidence is mixed about whether women find beards attractive. Some women like them, others don’t, and for others it depends. But there is clear evidence that men view other men with beards as more intimidating than clean-shaven men. Or take deep voices. Women are likely to think deep voices are attractive. But in comparison, men are even more likely to think deep voices are intimidating.
5. 5 Reasons Why Women and Men Care About Height
A study on women and men’s height preferences found that women are most satisfied when their partner is 8 inches (21cm) taller. Men are most satisfied when they are 3 inches (8cm) taller than their partner. Another study found that among men, 13.5 percent prefer to date only women shorter than them. But among women, about half (48.9 percent) preferred to date only men taller than them. Relatedly, a study about height and human mate choice found that, on average, the shortest man a woman would date is 5 feet 9 inches tall. And the shortest woman a man would date is 5 feet 1 inch tall.
Thanks for reading, and happy new year.
