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Remembering, as an Extreme Sport
The New York Times: SAN DIEGO – The last match of the tournament had all the elements of a classic showdown, pitting style versus stealth, quickness versus deliberation, and the world’s foremost card virtuoso against its premier numbers wizard. If not quite Ali-Frazier or Williams-Sharapova, the duel was all the audience of about 100 could ask for. They had come to the first Extreme Memory Tournament, or XMT, to see a fast-paced, digitally enhanced memory contest, and that’s what they got.
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How “tightness” vs “looseness” explains the U.S. political map
The Washington Post: We are forever in search of ways to better understand the cultural differences in our country that lead us to such divergent politics. A new paper by two psychology professors at the University of Maryland proposes a new way to understand the differences between the states: tightness versus looseness. Professors Jesse R. Harrington and Michele J. Gelfand studied "the degree to which social entities are 'tight' (have many strongly enforced rules and little tolerance for deviance) versus 'loose' (have few strongly enforced rules and greater tolerance for deviance)" and then produced a ranking of each state from tightest to loosest.
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Writing Helps You Remember Things Better Than Typing
BuzzFeed: Close the lid of your laptop: New research shows that taking notes by hand helps you remember conceptual information better than typing notes on your computer. Researchers asked note-takers to listen to a TED Talk and later asked questions about it that either recalled facts or required conceptual thinking. Read the whole story: BuzzFeed
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The Buffer Zone: Romance and Insecurity
The Huffington Post: Let's call them Linda and Max. They've been a committed couple for some years now, but Max brings a lot of emotional baggage to the relationship. Previous girlfriends treated him shabbily, and as a result he's insecure about Linda, not entirely convinced she loves him. On occasion this persistent fretting makes him act like a . . . well, a jerk. You know Linda and Max. I know I do--or at least versions of them. Most people would say they're doomed as a couple, yet they last. Somehow, when Max is threatened, Linda knows to give him the reassurances he needs. She intuitively helps him control his emotions and feel safer, and as a result he behaves better.
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Sense of Purpose Lengthens Life
Pacific Standard: How’s that search for a purpose in life coming? Are you finding frustration rather than fulfillment? Well, if friends or family members suggest you let it go, don’t let them dissuade you. If your quest is successful, you’ll probably outlive them. That’s the implication of new research, which provides additional evidence of a link between having a sense of purpose and enjoying greater longevity.
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Millennials might not be as narcissistic as everyone thought
The Washington Post: If you ever read anything about millennials online, you’ve probably seen something calling this generation narcissistic. A surge in self-importance, some say! “Deluded narcissists,” others opine! Whatever this “Me Me Me Generation” article was! Well, it turns out that because many millennials began their professional lives during an economic nightmare, they are actually less likely to be self-interested when they get older. That’s according to new research published in the journal Psychological Science.
