The fine art of bragging

Guests: Ann Burnett and Susan Krauss Whitbourne

It’s so much easier to brag these days! Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram give us the ideal forum to boast about our accomplishments, our relationships, our offspring and anything else that’s right with our world. Even simple things like the delicious meal we cooked for dinner or a vacation in the tropics can be turned into a public brag. So are we turning into a nation of braggarts now that it’s so convenient to share our good news? When is bragging over the top and when is it simply healthy self-promotion? Joining us to talk about “bragging” – why we do it and when its’ ok – is University of Massachusetts – Amherst psychology professor SUSAN KRAUSS WHITBOURNE. And we’ll start off the hour exploring the classic “bragging” missive – the holiday letter. North Dakota State University professor ANN BURNETT collects and analyzes them. She says they tell us a lot about the culture in which we live.

Photo by Michael on flickr