2011 review

It's the end of the year, the perfect time to look back at all the great research and psychology stories we haven't covered here - mainly as they were covered so well elsewhere. If you've been following @occdigest on twitter you may have seen some of these at the time.

Bob Sutton at Work Matters reports that "having the right co-workers can help us live longer, while having the wrong ones might kill us." link

Jon Sutton at the Psychologist asks "Is the popular view of meetings justified, and can psychology provide the science behind making them better?" link (pdf)

The BPS covers a study that suggests "people with subtle asymmetries - for example, imbalances in ear or finger length - are often better “transformational” leaders, able to inspire followers to put self-interest aside for the good of the group." link

Psyblog looks at how "making plans helps free up mental space for whatever we are doing right now, allowing us to be more efficient in the long term." link

Our mood at work worsens over the day, according to tweeting patterns reported at the BPS. link

Covered in Workplace Psychology, lab experiments suggest that "employees who stay up late working and miss sleep are more likely to distort/misrepresent/bend results and engage in other forms of cheating." link

The Research Digest covers an article that suggests "our view of companies is encapsulated by four fundamental dimensions: honesty, prestige, innovation and power." link

Research Digest again: "gossipers are perceived not just as unlikeable but also as lacking social influence" link

"Knowledge gained from our failures lasts longer than those from our successes", meaning organisations should treat failure as a learning opportunity, says Workplace Psychology. link

"IQ scores are absolutely predictive of long-term outcomes. But what our study questions is whether that's entirely because smarter people do better in life than other people or whether part of the predictive power coming from test motivation." An important study reported at Medical News Today. link

Medical school seems to decrease empathy in its students, particularly from the point where they begin seeing patients. Writeup at Mindhacks. link