10 Un-PC Truths About Human Nature

Study says music reflects our personalities

(NEWSER) - Our favorite music speaks volumes about who we are, according to a new psychological study. It turns out that Indie fans are miserable, and metal heads act a lot like classical music lovers. The Independent breaks down personalities by genre:

• Indie: Low self-esteem and lazy, not to mention selfish and unkind.

• Rock: Hard-working and creative, but also unfriendly and hardly generous.

Best takes on psychological journeys, from a British novelist/therapist

(NEWSER) - Sebastian Beaumont, the author of Thirteen, offers his list of books that "blur the boundaries of consensus 'reality' and psychological reality."

1. Journey to the East, Hermann Hesse
2. Le Grand Meaulnes, Henri Alain-Fournier
3. Fight Club, Chuck Palahnuik
4. Vurt, Jeff Noon
5. Steppenwolf, Hermann Hesse

'Supermarkets of love' no better than bars for meeting people: Study

(NEWSER) - Online dating could help you find your perfect match—but your chances aren't any better than they'd be at a bar, a study suggests. You can't tell much about the people listed on sites like Match.com. Browsing such lists "overloads people and they end up shutting down," the psychology professor behind the study tells Reuters . It amounts to shopping at "supermarkets of love": When you have too many choices, you make bad decisions. More»

Those who hit the gym don't take stress out on subordinates: study

(NEWSER) - Got a crabby boss? Maybe you should get your office to chip in on a gym membership. Bosses who work out are less likely to mistreat their employees, according to a recent study in the Journal of Business and Psychology , spotted by Scientific American . Researchers had 98 MBA students fill out surveys on their bosses' behaviors, and had bosses fill out a separate survey about their stress levels and exercise habits. More»

'Sense of order' appeals to those with lower intelligence, researchers say

(NEWSER) - Children with low IQs are more likely to embrace conservative ideologies and to be prejudiced against gays and people of other races as they get older, according to research certain to spark a few heated conversations. The researchers say people with lower intelligence tend to be attracted to the structure and authoritarianism of right-wing ideologies, LiveScience reports. Social conservatives were defined as people who agreed with statements like "Give law breakers stiffer sentences" and "Schools should teach children to obey authority." More»