The Role of Personality, Political Attitudes and Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Explaining Individual Differences in Fear of Coronavirus: A Comparison Over Time and Across Countries.

Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in December 2019 about 500,000 people died within the first 6 months. The virus itself, as well as the related political decisions, intensified an increasing feeling of fear in billions of people worldwide. However, while some people remained unperturbed, others experienced panic over the current situation.

Personality associations with Facebook use and tendencies towards Facebook Use Disorder.

Introduction: The present study sought to address core issues in the association between personality and the putative disordered use of Facebook. First, to redress the issue of generalisation from samples solely recruited from Facebook, we sought to explore personality differences between users and non-users of Facebook. Second, we aimed to investigate associations between personality and Facebook Use Disorder.

Smartphone addiction, daily interruptions and self-reported productivity.

The advent of the smartphone has dramatically altered how we communicate, navigate, work and entertain ourselves. While the advantages of this new technology are clear, constant use may also bring negative consequences, such as a loss of productivity due to interruptions in work life. A link between smartphone overuse and loss of productivity has often been hypothesized, but empirical evidence on this question is scarce.

The role of genetic variation in the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) and mineralocorticoid receptor (NR3C2) in the association between cortisol response and cognition under acute stress.

Although HPA - axis reactivity has repeatedly been related to cognitive functioning, ambiguity remains regarding the direction of the effect, i.e. whether it benefits or impairs functioning.

Does acceptance of power distance influence propensities for problematic Internet use? Evidence from a cross-cultural study.

Introduction: Several studies suggest that Asian countries are particularly afflicted by problematic Internet use (PIU).

Methods: The present study investigates whether individual differences in the acceptance of power distance can be linked to overuse of the Internet in Germany and in China. Power distance has been discussed as an essential dimension on which Asian and Western societies differ.

Toward Psychoinformatics: Computer Science Meets Psychology.

The present paper provides insight into an emerging research discipline called Psychoinformatics. In the context of Psychoinformatics, we emphasize the cooperation between the disciplines of psychology and computer science in handling large data sets derived from heavily used devices, such as smartphones or online social network sites, in order to shed light on a large number of psychological traits, including personality and mood. New challenges await psychologists in light of the resulting "Big Data" sets, because classic psychological methods will only in part be able to analyze this data derived from ubiquitous mobile devices, as well as other everyday technologies.

The 2D:4D-Ratio and Neuroticism Revisited: Empirical Evidence from Germany and China.

The 2D:4D-Ratio, as an indirect measure of the fetal testosterone to estradiol ratio, is potentially very important for understanding and explaining different personality traits. It was the aim of the present study to replicate the findings from Fink et al. (2004) about the relation between individual differences in 2D:4D-Ratios and the Five Factor Model in different cultural groups.

The importance of analogue zeitgebers to reduce digital addictive tendencies in the 21st century.

Analogue zeitgebers such as wristwatches and alarm clocks are essential for structuring everyday life. Since the dawn of the digital revolution - particularly since the advent of the smartphone - mobile phones have increasingly replaced analogue zeitgebers as a means of telling time. This functionality may prove problematic, in that it may contribute to the overuse of digital media (e.

Individual differences in reward prediction error: contrasting relations between feedback-related negativity and trait measures of reward sensitivity, impulsivity and extraversion.

Medial-frontal negativity occurring ∼200-300 ms post-stimulus in response to motivationally salient stimuli, usually referred to as feedback-related negativity (FRN), appears to be at least partly modulated by dopaminergic-based reward prediction error (RPE) signaling. Previous research (e.g.