Moral Minds Lab

Moral Minds Lab @msupsychology • Headed by @DrMeltemYucel

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

Many thanks to the MSU Human Development and Family Studies (@MSUHDFS) for inviting me to give a talk! It's always lovely to hang out with developmental folks!

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

Come join the Moral Minds Lab as a grad student at MSU! Brand-new lab equipped for child & adult testing, with motivated undergrads in a happy department. 🤩

Learn more: https://t.co/9dxCzHRaud

(P.S. Ted Schwaba is also taking a student!) @MsuPsychology

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

🎉 We’re celebrating 100,000+ users from 170 countries on https://t.co/6oupWfvCJO!

Have you used the site? I’d love to hear how it’s helped YOU.

💬 Share your feedback or success story—it only takes 2 mins:
🔗 https://t.co/RyODzdZWFP

[Moral Minds Lab @MoralMindsLab]

Moral Minds Lab is at #SRCD25!

Excited to share ideas, learn from others, and hopefully even squeeze in a coffee or two in between!

@SRCDtweets #SRCD2025

[Moral Minds Lab @MoralMindsLab]

Check out our new paper on gossip!

https://t.co/6CQsmsrJEy

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

📢 New Paper! 📢

Oscar Wilde famously said, “There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

But is that really the case?

1/4

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

We also ran confirmatory experiments to see if people correctly estimate others' preferences.

The results? People tend to overestimate how much others enjoy being gossiped about—but only when the gossip is positive.

Check out the full study here: https://t.co/jDzHIC4OzV

4/4

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

However, some individuals stand out: A meta-analytic summary revealed that men and those higher in narcissism are more likely to want to be gossiped about, even negatively.

Meanwhile, older adults showed a lower preference for positive gossip about themselves.

3/4

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

In our latest study, we put this idea to the test: Do people actually want to be the subject of gossip—even if it’s negative?

Using two nationally representative samples, we found that, in general, people dislike being talked about—unless the gossip is positive.

2/4

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

📢 New Paper! 📢

Oscar Wilde famously said, “There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

But is that really the case?

1/4

[Morality & Cooperation Research Lab @MoCo_Lab]

Dr. Meltem Yücel joined us as a guest in our lab with her talk titled “Flexibility and Diversity of Children’s Moral Reasoning”!
✨We thank her for sharing her inspiring research and engaging in a wonderful conversation with us.
@DrMeltemYucel @ MoralMindsLab 💐

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

Excited to announce that I will be joining @MichiganStateU as an Assistant Professor of Psychology!!!!

[Meltem Yucel (Melt-um You-Jell) @DrMeltemYucel]

My lab (@moralmindslab) will explore morality across the lifespan and in cultures around the world, learning how our social and moral thinking is shaped by the environments we grow up in.

@moralmindslab <-- give us a follow!