[From the article “When the Revolution Came for Amy Cuddy” by Susan Dominus at nytimes.com] 

“As a young social psychologist, she played by the rules and won big: an influential study, a viral TED talk, a prestigious job at Harvard. Then, suddenly, the rules changed.”

Amy Cuddy became famous for her work in social psychology; in particular, a 2010 study on power poses. That research, published in the prestigious journal Psychological Science, led to prominent media exposure on CNN, Oprah magazine, and a TED talk that has become the second most popular TED talk with a viewership of over 43 million. 

The “revolution” in the headline is the replication movement, and Amy Cuddy’s work became something of a poster child for bad science that could not be replicated. This article presents a compelling look of both sides of the replication debate. On the one hand, the desire for good science and the calling out of shoddy statistical practices. On the other hand, the personal costs, including professional and public humiliation, when one’s work becomes singled out — in some cases, unfairly — for criticism. It is a great read.

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