Social Engineering Blogs

An Aggregator for Blogs About Social Engineering and Related Fields

Animals Express Emotions Too

Some animals express emotions much as humans do and man’s best friend in particular is no exception.  Yahoo News reported on a heart breaking video that shows a dog mourning the loss of his friend.

The dog, Bella, was inseparable (say owners) from her best-friend Beavis the beaver. As Bella seems to realize that her friend is not coming to life, she whimpers, nuzzles, and licks her friend as if trying to say goodbye.  According to her owner Bella stayed by the side of her pal for several hours.

This video has gone viral on YouTube as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. David Matsumoto – NPR Interview

NPR’s ScienceFriday  has just released  their interview with Dr. David Matsumoto, Humintell’s Director, San Francisco State University psychology professor and microexpressions expert.

Dr. Matsumoto has been doing extensive research in the fields of Evaluating Truthfulness, Detecting Deception, Microexpressions (fleeting flashes of emotion that appear when someone is trying to conceal information) and Culture for many years.

He has worked with various government agencies and has contirbuted to numeous publications including the FBI Law Enforcement  Bulletin “Evaluating Truthfulness & Detecting Deception” and has been featured in various articles such as the New York Times’, Proud is Proud, Sighted or not, Reserachers Find.

During this interview Dr. Matsumoto points out that microexpressions are subtle cues that may reveal how an interview subject is feeling, which can aid officials in honing their line of questioning.

To LISTEN to the entire interview click here
What do you think of Dr. Matsumoto’s Interview? 

Is Anger Really Negative?

© Andrew Taylor | Dreamstime Stock Photos

The French Tribune.com reports on information from behavioral psychologists that says anger is simply a normal human feeling and can be very useful.

The article notes that there are two types of anger: constructive and de-constructive.  Constructive anger, just like the name notes, can be beneficial and keep us out of harm’s way.  However, de-constructive anger is usually misplaced and can cause damage to us and others.

According to behavioral psychologist Tafrate, getting angry often is deconstructive and harmful.  It can lead to damaged relationships, poor work performance and bad parenting.

There is also added health risks to deconstructive anger such as high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.  However, anger can also be a motivator an attribute usually associated with a positive emotion.

In a past blog, Anger: Does it Motivate us?, from November of last year, Dr. Matsumoto noted that we should avoid labeling emotions as good or bad.

Emotions, including anger, are immediate, automatic, unconscious reactions to things that happen around us.  Many of us would probably agree that it’s not bad to feel anger towards someone who tries to steal your purse or harm you or your family.  It all depends on the context in which the emotion occurs.

So, next time your feeling your temperature rise, take a deep breath and use it to your advantage in a constructive way.

 What are your thoughts on Anger? 
Do you have some helpful tips you’d like to share ?