Give me liberty or give me cash

Class in the classroom Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but new research from a sociologist at the University of Michigan suggests that class differences — no pun intended — may complicate this vision. Observing a preschool classroom with children from both working-class and upper-middle-class families, the sociologist found that upper-middle-class children used their more outspoken social style to more often “take the floor” and “take a stand.” Upper-middle-class children were more adept at interrupting, getting attention, and arguing to get their way. While teachers were sometimes able to counteract this imbalance, their preference for enthusiastic verbal responses and for children to “use their words” to resolve conflicts typically advantaged the upper-middle-class children.

Streib, J., “Class Reproduction by Four Year Olds,” Qualitative Sociology (June 2011).

A hot, lonely bath The iconic catch-phrase “Calgon, take me away!” would seem to link bathing with the desire to get away from people. Yet, a series of surveys and experiments shows that warm baths and/or showers may be a symptom of loneliness. People who reported being lonelier also tended to take more, longer, and warmer baths or showers. Likewise, holding a warm-pack caused people to feel less lonely after writing about a time when they felt socially excluded.

Bargh, J. & Shalev, I., “The Substitutability of Physical and Social Warmth in Daily Life,” Emotion (forthcoming).