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Context, not Character

Photo by, Reigh LeBlanc, courtesy of Flickr creative commons

Character is the currency of political ads and attacks. It makes business deals attractive or unsavory. Character is described in court trials and novels as what makes a person tick. We’re going to introduce you to the proposition that human behavior is not driven by character, but context. Sam Sommersis associate professor of psychology at Tufts University who blogs regularly for the Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. His research points to the power of the world around us to pull our strings and guide our behavior. Context determines whether we will help someone in need, engage in cruel behavior, even fall in love.  

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