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The Lost Art of the Unsent Angry Letter
The New York Times: WHENEVER Abraham Lincoln felt the urge to tell someone off, he would compose what he called a “hot letter.” He’d pile all of his anger into a note, “put it aside until his emotions cooled down,” Doris Kearns Goodwin once explained on NPR, “and then write: ‘Never sent. Never signed.’ ” Which meant that Gen. George G. Meade, for one, would never hear from his commander in chief that Lincoln blamed him for letting Robert E. Lee escape after Gettysburg. Lincoln was hardly unique. Among public figures who need to think twice about their choice of words, the unsent angry letter has a venerable tradition. Its purpose is twofold.
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To Spot a Liar, Trust Your Instinct
Science Magazine: Unfortunately, spotting a liar isn’t as easy as checking to see if they have their fingers crossed behind their back. Yet, some scientists are saying we’re better at detecting a lie than we think. A study published this month in Psychological Science finds that our unconscious mind, or intuition, may be more accurate than our conscious mind at detecting dishonesty. Read the whole story: Science Magazine
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GM and the Science of Burying Bad News
Delivering bad news to your boss or your shareholders is inherently nerve-wracking. But for some General Motors’ executives, braving a little discomfort could have saved lives. A flawed ignition switch in the Chevrolet Cobalt and several other small GM cars has been blamed for at least 13 deaths, with the defect suddenly shutting off cars, stiffening brakes and power steering, and disabling air bags.
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Early Intervention Reduces Aggressive Behavior in Adulthood
An educational intervention program for children between kindergarten and 10th grade, known as Fast Track, reduces aggressive behavior later in life, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research, led by psychological scientist Justin Carré of Nipissing University in Ontario, Canada, indicates that dampened testosterone levels in response to social threats may account for the intervention’s success in reducing aggression.
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Self-Imposed Deadlines Don’t Stop Procrastination. Here’s What Might.
Fast Company: Mark Twain advised people never to put off until tomorrow what they can put off until the day after, and a lot of us listen. Estimates suggest that 15% to 20% of all people are chronic procrastinators, and that share goes up for situational delay: As one example, four in five people put off retirement savings despite knowing better. Then there are the innumerable office procrastinators, many identifiable by the mere fact that they're reading this article. The devious thing about procrastination is that while we tend to shrug or laugh it off as part of the work process, evidence suggests it's far from harmless.
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Talk About Class
Inside Higher Ed: During January’s White House opportunity summit, policy makers and higher education leaders announced over 100 new initiatives designed to bolster first-generation and low-income students’ college success. While students who overcome the odds to gain access to college bring with them significant grit and resilience, the road through college is often a rocky one. First Lady Michelle Obama described the obstacles that first-generation and low-income students commonly confront. No stranger to these challenges, she said: You’re in a whole new world. You might have trouble making friends because you don’t see any peers who come from a background like yours.
