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Does More Sex Lead to a Better Relationship?
Shape: We've all got those friends who swear they're super satisfied with their relationship even though the last time they got busy was weeks ago. Well, according to a new study, they're not just B.S.-ing you—or, at least, they don't realize they are. (Psst...Ever wonder how often other people are having sex?) The frequency with which you get frisky does impact how satisfied you are with your relationship, according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science but it's not as straightforward as you might think. Read the whole story: Shape
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It turns out money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it the right way
Quartz: We’ve all heard the maxim that money can’t buy happiness. But remember how happy you were at dinner with friends last week, or watching Star Wars in the cinema, or buying all four of the Elena Ferrante Neapolitan novels? None of that would have been possible without good old money. Now researchers from the University of Cambridge have confirmed what many may have secretly expected: that there is indeed a link between spending money and happiness. Their study, published in Psychological Science last week, found that life satisfaction increases with spending—but only if people use money in line with their personality type. Read the whole story: Quartz
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This unusual test reveals how smart you are
The Washington Post: Last summer, a couple of researchers ran a funny experiment about honesty. They went to an Israeli shopping mall and recruited people, one-by-one, into a private booth. Alone inside the booth, each subject rolled a six-sided die. Then they stepped out and reported the number that came up. There was an incentive to lie. The higher the number, the more money people received. If they rolled a one, they got a bonus of about $2.50. If they rolled a two, they got a bonus of $5, and so on. If they rolled a six, the bonus was about $15. (Everyone also received $5 just for participating.) Before I reveal the results, think about what you would do in that situation.
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There are two types of problem-solvers: ‘insightfuls’ and ‘analysts’
Wired: Consider these three words: pine, crab, sauce. Name a single word that will combine with each of them to make a compound word or familiar phrase. Take a moment to think about this, and then continue reading. The solution is apple (pineapple, crabapple, apple sauce). The interesting thing about this type of puzzle is that, like many real-world problems, it can be solved in more than one way. For instance, you can solve it by trying out various possibilities. What goes with pine? Tree goes with pine. Tree also goes with crab, but it doesn't go with sauce. How about cone? And so forth. Cognitive psychologists call this kind of linear thought "analysis". Read the whole story: Wired
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How to Be Good
Slate: If you encountered a robot on the street, you would want it to give you the right of way instead of just rolling over your foot, right? Making room for a passerby is simple, but it’s just one of the many human “values” that we seek to make our increasingly prolific machine creations obey. Computer scientists like Stuart Russell and technologists in companies building advanced artificial intelligence platforms say that they want to see A.I. “provably aligned with human values.” A scientist at the A.I. startup Anki recently assured Elon Musk and others that A.I. will be “friend”—not “foe.” ...
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Sarcasm Spurs Creative Thinking
Scientific American Mind: “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence,” that connoisseur of witticisms, Oscar Wilde, is said to have remarked. But not everyone shares his view. Communication experts and marriage counselors alike typically advise us to stay away from this particular form of expression. The reason is simple: sarcasm carries the poisonous sting of contempt, which can hurt others and harm relationships. By its very nature, it invites conflict. ... And yet behavioral scientists Li Huang of INSEAD business school, Adam D. Galinsky of Columbia University and I have found that sarcasm may also offer an unexpected psychological payoff: greater creativity.
