Research
The SPN Lab investigates the psychological "middlemen" strongly involved in determining whether people act aggressively or not - especially pain, pleasure and self-regulation.
Pain
Many features of life hurt.
This pain causes many people to lash out at a world rife with threats.
Pleasure
People tend to do things that feel pleasant; yet what people enjoy is diverse. Sometimes, people enjoy hurting others.
Self-Regulation
People do not constantly
act on impulses. Through self-control and self-enhancement, we amplify and restrain our aggressive tendencies.
Funding for the SPN Lab's research comes from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology and the R.S. Lipman Research Fund for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
