by Raymond Barranco, MSU Professor of Sociology My kids love Olive Garden – a lot. With an Italian last name like Barranco, I’ll admit I’m slightly embarrassed by how much they love what may be the most generic Italian restaurant in the country. But I keep that to myself and indulge them. Every time we go, I’m reminded of a question I like to ask my students: Why can’t we eat spaghetti with our hands? Sure, it’s fine for a toddler. But an adult? Definitely not. Seriously, though...

By Raymond Barranco, MSU Professor of Sociology There are two things that most of us struggle to say (no, I’m not talking about “Irish wristwatch” and “rural juror”): “I’m sorry” and “You were right.” Those words are difficult no matter the relationship – between spouses, parents and children, coworkers, friends, or teachers and students. Why? Because saying them requires us to admit something we would rather not: that we made a mistake. Most of us don’t enjoy admitting we’re wrong. Maybe...

By Raymond Barranco, MSU Professor of Sociology Right before I graduated college, I applied to the Louisiana State Police. Part of the process was a polygraph test. If you’ve never taken one, here’s how it works: you sit in a small room while someone asks you a series of yes-or-no questions, and a machine tracks your heart rate, breathing, and a few other things that apparently reveal whether you’re lying. One of the questions was simple enough on paper: have you ever stolen anything? I sat...