Welcome

If you are a monolingual English speaker such as myself, you might not immediately recognize the French title I chose to use for this blog. Loosely translated, this quote from the French writer Voltaire means, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." Although one may choose to interpret this statement as a testament to the importance of religion, I choose to interpret this statement as an astute observation concerning the forces that influence human behavior. Could societies exist without the coherent set of standards for social behavior and interaction which systems such as religion and law can provide? Voltaire thinks not, and perhaps modern social psychologists would agree with his assessment.  Throughout the remainder of this blog, I will discuss topics within the field of social psychology. Like Voltaire, I will attempt to examine the forces that propel our behavior as social beings. However, unlike Voltaire, I will attempt to support my observations by citing the important findings of many scientific studies. Welcome, and enjoy!