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Set SMART resolutions in 2014!
Scientific American: As we approach the beginning of a new year, many people will be heading into 2014 with a long list of resolutions that they intend to tackle. Yet even though we all believe that our own goals are particularly important and meaningful, some of these resolutions will be better than others. In fact, psychological research on goals can clue us in to which resolutions will be more likely to end in success, and which will probably end up flopping before the snow even melts. ...
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The Miracle of “Anchoring”
Slate: Seemingly out of nowhere, a movement to raise the minimum wage has been gathering momentum. It’s about time. No one can live on $7.25 per hour. In real terms, the national minimum wage has dropped about 30 percent since its peak several decades ago. And yet there is a chorus of concern that raising the minimum wage, while it benefits some people, will be a disaster for others, because employers who rely on the minimum wage will find ways to eliminate jobs. The last thing you want to do in a time of high unemployment is threaten jobs. Research comparing adjacent states, one of which has raised its minimum wage, indicates that job loss from raised minimum wages is quite modest.
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Raising Children With an Attitude of Gratitude
The Wall Street Journal: Ben Gantert, 12, center, washes dishes near his father, Kurt Gantert, left, sister Amelie Gantert, 9, near right, and mother Gabrielle Toledano in San Francisco. The family assigns each child chores and makes sure to thank whoever cooks dinner. Laura Morton for The Wall Street Journal At the Branstens' modern white dining table, the family holds hands for their nightly ritual. Arielle, 8 years old, says she's thankful for her late grandfather, Horace, and how funny he was. "I'm missing him," she says.
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To Smoosh Peas Is to Learn
The New York Times: Everybody loves a messy eater. In a study published this month in Developmental Science, 16-month-old children were taught new names for foods like jelly and syrup, then tested to see if they could connect those names with the foods when they were presented in different colors and shapes. The conclusion? The toddlers learned better if they had, shall we say, interacted vigorously with the original samples — in other words, had played with their foods.
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Time, the ethics cop
The Boston Globe: Time is money—or so they say. According to a new study, however, the two concepts push people in opposite directions when it comes to ethical behavior. People who were exposed to time-related words or concepts were significantly less likely to cheat than people who were exposed to money-related words or concepts. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
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When Being Called “Incredibly Good” Is Bad for Children
Parents and other adults heap the highest praise on children who are most likely to be hurt by the compliments, a new study finds. Researchers found that adults seem to naturally give more inflated praise to children with low self-esteem. But while children with high self-esteem seem to thrive with inflated praise, those with low self-esteem actually shrink from new challenges when adults go overboard on praising them. “Inflated praise can backfire with those kids who seem to need it the most -- kids with low self-esteem,” said Eddie Brummelman, lead author of the study and a visiting scholar at The Ohio State University in autumn 2013.
