There were several interesting news stories resulting from the annual American Psychological Association (APA) which met last week in San Francisco. Some findings and stories that caught my eye:

• Being a perfectionist and having high expectations don’t necessarily doom you to a life of unhappiness.  But being overly critical and harsh on yourself for not achieving your goals can be problematic (USA Today article). (Ah, there’s hope for me yet).
• Small, random distinctions are enough to differentiate one group from another. We seem naturally inclined to favor our group over other groups, no matter how groups are defined.  However, promoting our own group doesn’t mean there are ill feelings about the other groups, even though it can still lead to feelings of discrimination or bias (Newsweek article).
• Women, who are known for being relationally oriented, are found to have several deep relationships. Men, however, specialize in casting a wider net by having more relationships at a shallower level. It may not be that women are better at relationships, but rather have a different relational focus (NY Times article).

Read more news stories from the APA convention (click here).