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People with shifty eyes AREN’T dishonest… they’re just thinking hard
The Daily Mail: Shifty eyes have been thought to be a sign of disinterest or that a person is lying, but new evidence suggests the involuntary movement occurs when people try and access their long-term memory. Psychology professor Howard Ehrlichman of Queens College, at City University of New York, made the claims in a recent article in the publication Current Directions in Psychological Science. Read the whole story: The Daily Mail
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Starved for Time? Give Some Away
The Wall Street Journal: A sense of ”time famine,” which has reached epidemic levels in modern society, can wreak havoc on one’s psychological and physical health. A new study suggests a counterintuitive remedy: Give some of your precious time away to other people. In one of several experiments exploring variations on this theme, 45 minutes into a one-hour laboratory session at an East Coast university, 136 students either were asked to help an “at risk” student by editing a college essay, for 15 minutes, or told that someone else had already done the editing — so they were free to leave class early, and spend the time windfall however they pleased.
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Self-Compassion Fosters Mental Health
Scientific American Mind: Being kind to yourself is a surefire way to improve your mental health and reach your goals, a growing body of work suggests. Now research has revealed an easy way to boost this self-compassion—by showing kindness to others. Self-compassion is distinct from self-esteem, a trait that can shade into narcissism. Nor should it be confused with self-pity or self-indulgence. “Self-compassion is treating yourself with the same kindness and care you'd treat a friend,” says Kristin Neff, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and the leading researcher in the growing field of self-compassion.
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Prenez vos décisions dans une langue étrangère, elles seront plus rationnelles que dans votre langue maternelle !
Atlantico: Les actes comptent plus que les mots. C'est en tout cas l'adage. Mais tout dépend des mots. Allons même plus loin : et si une même proposition formulée différemment entraînait des actions différentes ? Un sondage publié par la chaîne de télévision américaine CBS News et le New York Times révèle que le choix des mots est très important. Deux questions étaient posées à des Américains : 1/ Trouvez-vous que les homosexuels devraient être autorisés à servir dans l'armée américaine ? 2/ Trouvez-vous que les hommes gays et les lesbiennes devraient être autorisés à servir dans l'armée américaine ?
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Parents Are an ‘Untapped Resource’ to Push STEM, Study Says
Education Week: Sometimes a little effort can go a long way. A new study suggests that a fairly simple intervention with parents can translate into their teenage children getting more STEM education. The field experiment involved sending parents two glossy brochures and the link to a website, all highlighting the value of studying STEM subjects. The result? Students from those families, on average, took nearly one semester more of science and mathematics in the last two years of high school, compared with a control group of families not exposed to this intervention.
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Friends of a Certain Age
The New York Times: It was like one of those magical blind-date scenes out of a Hollywood rom-com, without the “rom.” I met Brian, a New York screenwriter, a few years ago through work, which led to dinner with our wives and friend chemistry that was instant and obvious. We liked the same songs off Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde,” the same lines from “Chinatown.” By the time the green curry shrimp had arrived, we were finishing each other’s sentences. Our wives were forced to cut in: “Hey, guys, want to come up for air?” As Brian and his wife wandered off toward the No.
