ains, controlling for median income and population. A 10 percent increase in residential mobility had about the same positive effect on chains as an increase in population of one million. In another analysis, people who had moved more in their youth exhibited a stronger preference for national chains, even after controlling for personality, political views, and socioeconomic status. Further experiments showed that people who were made to think about mobility were subsequently more anxious and were therefore more attracted to familiarity.
Oishi, S. et al., “Residential Mobility Breeds Familiarity-Seeking,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (forthcoming).
On taxes, income trumps beliefs Among political analysts, much has been made in recent years of people who appear to be voting against their self-interest, as when the wealthy liberal votes for a tax increase or the poor conservative votes for limited government. A new experiment, though, suggests that self-interest may often trump political identity after all. Researchers had people compete in multiple rounds of a timed spelling contest, earning money based on their own performance. However, after several rounds, people could vote to institute a redistributive tax. Surprisingly, people didn’t follow their stated political positions when voting on the tax rate. Liberals tended to vote for lower taxes when they did well, and conservatives tended to vote for higher taxes when they did poorly. The only notable political difference was that conservatives were more responsive to their self-interest. Another surprise was that a higher tax rate didn’t reduce performance.
Esarey, J. et al., “What Motivates Political Preferences? Self-Interest, Ideology, and Fairness in a Laboratory Democracy,” Economic Inquiry (forthcoming).
More honor, more suicide The idea of defending your honor means not only acting against others who threaten your honor but also against yourself, to avoid shame. While we tend to associate this attitude with more traditional cultures than our own, it’s not uncommon in this country. States that have a stronger culture of honor - specifically, Southern and Western states - have higher suicide rates, especially among rural whites, even controlling for deprivation, gun ownership, and medical access. Moreover, depression rates are higher and are strongly correlated with suicide rates in these states. Unfortunately, antidepressant prescriptions are also lower in these states. Individually, both men and women who endorse honor values are more likely to be depressed.
Osterman, L. & Brown, R., “Culture of Honor and Violence against the Self,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (forthcoming).
Kevin Lewis is an Ideas columnist. He can be reached at email@example.com.