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How to Get More Early Bloomers
The New York Times: WHEN New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, went to Albany earlier this week to talk about his program for universal preschool, the discussion reportedly focused on funding, not on whether or how preschool would actually help children. President Obama seemed equally confident when he introduced his plan for universal preschool last year, flatly stating, “We know this works.” But the state of research is actually much murkier. And unless policy makers begin to design preschool programs in ways that can be evaluated later, the situation won’t get any clearer. ...
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Microsoft Office Update: The CEO Now Has a Desk
The Wall Street Journal: Two days into the job, it’s unclear how Satya Nadella, the new chief executive of MicrosoftMSFT +0.11%, might transform the sprawling tech company. But one big change is already underway: unlike his predecessor, Steve Ballmer, he’ll have a desk. More than a year ago, Mr. Ballmer ditched his desk, choosing instead to work from an upholstered armchair facing a giant whiteboard. He also had a chaise against the window, for when he wanted to read and think with a tablet in his lap, he said in an interview late last year. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
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Gossiping benefits society, study claims
The Telegraph: Gossip can benefit society by preventing bullying and encouraging co-operation, a new study suggests. In contrast to the conventional belief that gossip and social exclusion are malicious and should be avoided, researchers found sharing “reputational information” could have a positive effect on society. Gossip can help social groups to reform bullies, encourages co-operation and stops “nice people” being exploited, according to the study, published in the journal Psychological Science.
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You really do smell sick
The Boston Globe: Next time someone says that you stink, you might want to take it as friendly medical advice. In an experiment, healthy volunteers were injected with either saline placebo or lipopolysaccharide—a molecule found on the surface of bad bacteria and that prompts a strong immune reaction. After several hours, researchers collected the volunteers’ shirts, cut out the armpit areas, and stored them in plastic squeeze bottles with flip-top caps. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
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Researchers: Gossip May Have Some Benefits (Even in Schools)
Education Week: Pass it around: A new study shows that while not all gossip is good, some gossip yields real societal benefits. The study, done by researchers from Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, explores the relationship between spreading information and social pressure. It found that, facing the threat of reputational harm and exclusion from a group, people will lessen their antisocial tendencies. "Although we have a single word for gossip, it's multiple different things," researcher Matthew Feinberg said in an interview.
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If You’re Allowed to Quit, You’ll Work Even Harder
INC.: The option to abandon a project might just strengthen your resolve to complete it, according to a study published in Psychological Science. The study, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvanis and Georgia State University, is detailed at the Association of Psychological Science's Minds for Business blog. It explored how people responded when given the option to complete a task as opposed to being required to do so. The Study Researchers Rom Schrift and Jeffrey Parker's subjects were asked to complete a word-search puzzle and told they could win a prize based on their performance. The rub: Some participants were allowed to opt out of doing the puzzle.
