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The Challenge of Waiting, in Any Culture
Fifty years ago, Walter Mischel and colleagues wanted to measure how well young children could resist temptation. He invented the famous “marshmallow” test. Children could either eat one marshmallow right away or wait 15 minutes and get two marshmallows. Four-year-olds agonized over the decision, sitting on their hands or turning their heads away from the tempting treat, but still most of them gave in. As researchers tracked the children over the following decades, it turned out, remarkably, that the children who waited longer also did better in school and life later on. But why did some children wait longer than others?
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How ‘Ghosting’ Is Linked to Mental Health
Check your phone. Are there any unanswered texts, snaps or direct messages that you’re ignoring? Should you reply? Or should you “ghost” the person who sent them? Ghosting happens when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else without an explanation. Instead, like a ghost, they just vanish. The phenomenon is common on social media and dating sites, but with the isolation brought on by the pandemic — forcing more people together online — it happens now more than ever. I am a professor of psychology who studies the role of technology use in interpersonal relationships and well-being.
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New Research Examines the Reluctance We Feel Before Offering Support to Someone in Need
A new study published in Psychological Science urges us not to think twice about offering support or condolences to a friend or acquaintance in need. The study suggests that we have a tendency to underestimate how positively recipients respond to our expressions of support. ...
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Culture Affects Kids’ Ability to Delay Gratification
Overcoming impulses to enjoy immediate rewards in order to get later benefits is fundamental to achieving goals. Researchers often measure the delaying of gratification with well-known “marshmallow task,” in which children must resist the urge to eat one treat now in order to get more treats later. Individual differences in this task predict important later life outcomes such as academic success, socioemotional competence, and health, many researchers agree.
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Adam Grant Talks Mental Health With Prince Harry: ‘Your Body Cannot Function Without Your Mind’
Not everyone prioritizes their mental fitness. But Prince Harry believes that they should: "We all have greatness within us," the royal says in a video for the wellness startup BetterUp released this week. "Mental fitness helps us unlock it." In the video, the Duke of Sussex sat down with organizational psychologist Adam Grant, snowboarding Olympian Chloe Kim, and a BetterUp member to discuss ways to build and maintain resilience. BetterUp is a San Francisco-based leadership coaching company, which the royal joined last year as chief impact officer. Most people are aware that if they don't take care of their bodies, they don't function at peak performance.
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Myths About Abortion and Women’s Mental Health Are Widespread, Experts Say
It's an unfounded message experts say is repeated again and again: Having an abortion may damage a woman's mental health, perhaps for years. "There's so much misinformation, so many myths about abortion.