ISR’s Ethan Kross publishes new book on managing emotions
January 29, 2025
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])ANN ARBOR — A new book from an Institute for Social Research (ISR) faculty member is offering new tools for managing your emotional life.“Shift: Managing Your Emotions — So They Don’t Manage You” is the latest offering from...
From Portraits to Policy: A Profile of Artist-Researcher Angel Zhong
January 13, 2025
Across the work of Guiying (Angel) Zhong – a portrait artist, activist, and social science researcher– common themes emerge: Mending what is broken; filling the cracks in what is missing; expressing truth that can elude words.Zhong (she/they), one of the nine Junior Professional...
U-M study of COVID-19 deaths challenges claims, understanding of pandemic-era suicides
December 12, 2024
Narratives behind numbers point to need for better coordination, support by employers, communities, public health leaders in future crises, especially mental healthANN ARBOR—In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, University of Michigan researchers dug deeper into the...
Study: Brilliant white male characters more believable, some viewers say
December 9, 2024
By SHARITA FORRESTBrilliant characters often play key roles in movies and TV shows. However, when these characters are played by women and people of color, some audience members dismiss them as unrealistic, even if they portray real people and events, a recent study found.University of Illinois...
Family matters: Living near relatives makes us heroic and harsh
November 25, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Many of us will soak in the merriment and drama that family gatherings bring during Thanksgiving. But beyond the Thanksgiving dinner table, new research suggests that living and being around family more often affects our psychology in some surprising ways.Are you willing to go to...
Gun deaths reach alarming high, sparking debate over media’s role
November 25, 2024
EXPERT Q&AANN ARBOR—Gun violence claimed 46,728 lives in the United States last year—the third-highest number of firearm-related deaths ever recorded—including a record-high 27,300 suicides by using a gun.The data marks a significant escalation over the past decade, according...
PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
November 18, 2024
Myles Durkee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR).Dr. Durkee is a PRBA affiliate whose research examines the...
Friends act as family surrogates for unmarried African Americans
November 7, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Friends play an essential role in everyone’s life, offering companionship and a safe space to share personal thoughts and feelings. A recent University of Michigan study reveals important information about the patterns and supportive functions of friendships...
Coping with election anxiety: Focus on other activities
October 21, 2024
EXPERT Q&AANN ARBOR—Endless streams of political commercials flooding TV screens. Spirited social media sparring between friends and families over candidates and key issues. Less than three weeks remain until Election Day, and many people still feel stressed. But people can lower...
Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
October 1, 2024
Racism and bias are often thought to stem from an individual’s personal prejudice against a certain group, but social psychologist Nick Camp notes that isn’t the way many inequities are perpetuated in the criminal justice system.In a new Social Science Bites podcast, interviewer David...
