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Stuck in a rut? How to appreciate your life again, according to science
A new job, apartment or relationship can all come with a sheen of excitement. But that luster fades after a while. And everything seems a bit duller. There's a term for that phenomenon, says Tali Sharot, a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: habituation. It's "our tendency to respond less and less to things that are repeated or constant."
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In the Race to Artificial General Intelligence, Where’s the Finish Line?
To hear companies such as ChatGPT’s OpenAI tell it, artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is the ultimate goal of machine learning and AI research. But what is the measure of a generally intelligent machine? ... “There’s no such thing as general intelligence, artificial or natural,” agrees Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Different kinds of problems require different kinds of cognitive abilities, she notes; no single type of intelligence can do everything.
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Opinion: Surgeons give patients too many opioids. A few simple steps could curb excess prescribing
America’s opioid epidemic is as bad as it has ever been. Although the sharp increase in opioid overdose deaths over the last decade is largely attributed to the rise in fentanyl distributed through drug cartels, a startling number can be traced to prescriptions. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 45 people died each day in 2021 from a prescription opioid overdose — about one-fifth of all opioid-related deaths. ... Inexpensive solutions grounded in evidence on human behavior can be powerful tools in our campaign against opioid addiction.
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Make Something With Your Hands (Even if It’s Hideous)
I once decorated a mirror with shells, but I keep it in a closet. I’m fond of it, even though it looks a little sloppy. Sometimes I’ll debate whether to toss it, and then gently put it back on the shelf. As it turns out, a lot of us have strong attachments to things we make — even when they’re kind of hideous, said Michael Norton, a professor of business administration at Harvard and the author of “The Ritual Effect.” Dr.
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Teens’ Mental Health May Improve When They Help Others
In college my oldest son volunteered as a Big Brother and taught computer science at local elementary and middle schools. After graduating, he said his time with those young students was one of the most rewarding parts of his college experience. According to emerging research, it might also have improved his mental health. ... “Part of the exploration of adolescence and young adulthood is figuring out where you can be needed and useful—arguably core aspects of our mental health,” says developmental psychologist Andrew Fuligni, co-executive director of the Center for the Developing Adolescent at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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How to Win Elections: Evidence-Based Principles of Effective Persuasion
I can read your mind. I see your worried spirit. I sense that, when assessing today’s U.S. political divide and voter sentiments, you feel astonished at what so many others believe and embrace. If only you, and your preferred candidate, could persuade well-meaning but misinformed people to embrace truth and value decency. If you support an incumbent, you and your kindred souls will want voters to perceive the economy as thriving, crime rates as falling, and leadership as effective. If you support a challenger, you will want voters to see a darker present—a government plagued by corruption, an economy languishing, a society in decline—and to long for someone who can make things great again.
