Alan Hall on Epidemic Disease
Earlier this month the World Health Organization declared swine flu a global pandemic, warning that nations should prepare for a second wave of the virus. The Socionomics Institute’s Alan Hall sat down with journalist Tom Jeffries to discuss how periods of negative social mood are conducive to disease outbreaks. Listen to the interview.
A Socionomic Look at Blackouts
During a negative trend in social mood, people have a less robust and generally more negative response to stressful events. For example, the September 2003 Elliott Wave Theorist examined the radically different social responses to the 1965, 1977 and 2003 electrical blackouts in New York City. Subscribe to The Socionomist now and get a link to this study in the June issue.
June Issue of The Socionomist Now Online
This issue is jam-packed with valuable insights about effects of social-mood trends on human psychology and physiology. It includes an analysis of human and microbial behavior, and two modern-day U.S. maps that reveal a powerful correlation between social stress and disease. For more information, and to see what readers are saying about The Socionomist, just click here.
New DVD Available Now
The Institute’s long-awaited DVD, Toward a Science of Social Prediction: Robert Prechter at the London School of Economics, is now in stock. Learn More.
Fractals in the Human Social Experience
In the 1930s, Ralph Nelson Elliott discovered that aggregate stock market prices trend and reverse in recognizable patterns. In a series of books and articles published from 1938 to 1946, he described the stock market as a fractal. The stock market is just one area of the human social experience where fractals can be found. Read More.
Why Economists Don’t See Recessions…
Until It’s Too Late
“This expansion will run forever.” So said an MIT professor of economics in The Wall Street Journal. Think about it. A respected leader in the field comes to a conclusion about economic behavior that defies the entirety of history. Find out why economists have such a poor record of foreseeing financial crashes and economic recessions.
New issue of Progress in Socionomics is available
The latest issue of the Socionomics Institute’s newsletter, Progress in Socionomics, is available online. In this issue, you’ll read about lawmakers who are turning to socionomics for answers in the real estate crisis, a socionomist who uses the Wave Principle to forecast Al-Qaeda attacks, and a nuclear scientist who employed the socionomic insight to inform his career choice. Access the issue now.
Einstein and the Study of “Psycho-Pathology”
Did Albert Einstein endorse socionomics? Pete Kendall provides a striking analysis of the impact social mood had on the life and career of one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. Find out what Pete has to say.
Prechter's Research Paper Proposes New Model of Finance
Robert Prechter’s paper, “The Financial/Economic Dichotomy in Social Behavioral Dynamics: The Socionomic Perspective,” is now available at no charge courtesy of our colleagues at the Socionomics Foundation. The paper, co-authored with Wayne D. Parker, was originally published in The Journal of Behavioral Finance. You can read the full paper by clicking here.
Socionomic Signposts are Everywhere
The latest installment in the Socionomics Audio Series features a conversation between the Institute’s Alan Hall and HoweStreet.com’s Tom Jeffries. Using real estate price data from North America, Japan and Holland, Alan reveals a common underlying psychological motivation behind real estate manias. The audio comes with five charts so you can see what Alan is talking about. Listen now.
2009 Almanac: Socionomics Edition
Our good friend Michael Flagg has a keen eye for socionomic observation. One of his greatest attributes is using the socionomic perspective to glimpse what might be on the horizon. If you want one man’s detailed look at what 2009 might have in store, this article is for you.
‘All Out War’
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas broils, you may wonder why now the worst violence in decades is marring Gaza. Is the culprit politics? Could it be religion? The answer might be something a bit more primal. In this Socionomics Classic from The Elliott Wave Theorist, socionomist Mark Galasiewski explores a connection between social mood and sudden outbreaks of violence.
Auto Industry Woes Got You Feeling Blue? Green Cars Might Help
Does social mood influence your car's colors? Absolutely, says socionomist Mark Galasiewski. What’s more, Mark adds, mood is also driving the great Motor City meltdown. In his just-released update to his classic study of car color trends, which incorporates DuPont Automotive's data for model year 2008, Mark paints a vivid picture of social mood’s impact on car color choices. See the facts in black and white.
The Socionomics Beginner's Guide
Knowledge is power. And socionomics is some powerful knowledge. To get the most out of it, some basic understanding is critical. Like a house's frame, the pillars of socionomics are crucial for supporting your knowledge of the science. So, if you’re new to socionomics or could use a refresher course, there’s now a Beginner's Guide on socionomics.net just for you. Get the blueprints now.
Interview: A Socionomic Look Forward
Our friend Kevin Depew discusses the political, economic and cultural environment—and what he expects to see in the future—from a socionomic perspective in this interview on Minyanville.com. Listen now.
10 Minutes with Bob Prechter
Imagine if you could spend ten minutes with Bob Prechter. What would you ask him? Peabody Award winning journalist Don Shelby had just such an opportunity on the day the U.S. House of Representatives voted down the bailout bill. Don asked Bob about classic socionomic subjects like herding, the Wave Principle, and the government’s inability to influence long-term social trends. You can listen to the conversation now.
Progress in Socionomics: Fall Issue Online
In the latest issue of Progress in Socionomics you’ll read about how socionomics can be used to predict trends in military aggression, a professor's take on the socionomics of The Dark Knight, a novelist whose lead character is a socionomist, and much more! You can read the entire issue free online.
Gas Shortage: Herding or Economics?
In 2008, the southeastern U.S. experienced the harshest gas shortage since the 1970's, the race to explain it continues. The Socionomics Institute's Robert Prechter examines the evidence to reveal the cause of the shortage and offer an elegantly simple solution. Read Prechter's insights now.
Air Force Major Writes About Socionomics
Maj. Tyson Hummel of the Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base has permitted the Socionomics Foundation to post an excerpt from his master's thesis. It is a fascinating application of socionomics for America's economic and military future, titled "Is the Science of Socionomics Able to Portend a Change in the United States’ Economic Might?" Read it at www.socionomics.org/pdf/Hummel_US_Econ.pdf.
Socionomics Foundation Wins National Research Competition
The American Political Science Association recently announced that the Socionomics Foundation's questions about social mood were among those chosen from more than 1,100 proposed queries to be included an upcoming research project funded by the National Science Foundation. To read the press release concerning the award, visit www.socionomics.org/press/ANES.
Making History: An Interview with Film Director David Edmond Moore
David Edmond Moore’s documentary, History's Hidden Engine, breaks new ground in its exploration of socionomic theory. The film, which is freely available for viewing online, features interviews with many of the pioneers in this expanding field. We turned the tables and interviewed David about his thoughts on making the film.
Q: What inspired you to create a documentary on socionomics?
A: I first became interested in socionomics after reading Bob Prechter's report, "Popular Culture and The Stock Market." It was the first time I had heard of the Wave Principle. I found it remarkable that the stock market correlated with trends in fashion, movies and music. I wasn't really a finance guy. I was just out of school, and pop culture was what interested me. What drove it home for me was that after reading the report I noticed a correlation between the crash in 1987 and a change in the music of U2 and R.E.M. Both groups went from being just rock bands to releasing two very political albums in 87. Later still, after the market recovered from the 87 crash and we extended the massive bull market through the late 80s and 90s, U2 and R.E.M. released "happy" albums. U2 went so far as to call their album Pop. You can't say it any clearer.
Continue reading the interview.
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