The theory of psychological reactance originates in the 1960s with Jack Brehm, who developed it when he was a professor at Duke University. Brehm said that humans are negatively aroused when they ...

If you’ve dealt with reactance, you surely know the two equations for computing inductive and capacitive reactance. But unless you’ve really dug into it, you may only know the formula the way a school ...

Variable current will generate inductance, capacitance, and their related properties of inductive and capacitive reactance. Although there's no energy loss that directly results from these properties, ...

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Ph.D., is a freelance journalist who regularly contributes to Discover Magazine. She reports on the social sciences, medical history, and new scientific discoveries. View Full ...

Reactance bias is thought of as the “F.U. I won’t do what you tell me” bias, but reactance is more nuanced than that. Originally defined by Brehm in 1966, it is “the tendency to do the opposite of ...

Reactance theory grew out of research on consumer behavior. This psychological theory describes how people react when they sense a threat to their freedom of choice. The theory extends to many other ...

There's good news for frustrated parents trying to get their kids to eat their vegetables (or go to sleep, or clean their rooms): Science shows that using reverse psychology can, indeed, work. Reverse ...

Imagine that you’ve just started a new diet, and you ask your partner to support you in your efforts by reminding you to cook healthy meals at home instead of eating out and do something active after ...