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How laughter makes you a better worker
Could laughing be a way to build a stronger, more creative team culture in the workplace? Since the global economic downturn in 2008, many of us may feel that laughing in the office might send a signal that we don’t have enough to do. Discussions that might previously have been conducted in person at a colleague’s desk increasingly take place over e-mail or Slack. In that context, office chatter can at times seem unnecessary. But what if, rather than signalling inactivity, laughing together is something that improves team collaboration and stimulates innovation? After years of not paying much attention to laughter, scientists are starting to reach that very conclusion.
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Why Too Much Experience Can Backfire
In its relatively short history Pixar has achieved remarkable success, garnering 15 Academy Awards and an average international gross of more than $600 million per film. Pixar movies appeal to moviegoers of all ages, with their unconventional plots and emotional depth. Talking cars (Cars), a rat who wants to be a chef (Ratatouille), an elderly man whose house floats to South America on the strength of thousands of balloons (Up), are among the unusual stars of Pixar films. But when I spoke with Pixar president and cofounder Ed Catmull, he told me that he prefers to tell new recruits about Pixar’s failures.
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Melania Trump’s BE BEST Campaign Takes a Cue From Clinical Psychological Science Study
A study published recently in an APS journal has helped inspire First Lady Melania Trump’s new initiative to teach children about the importance of social, emotional, and physical health. In its May 7, 2018 announcement about the new BE BEST campaign, the White House referenced a study published in 2017 in Clinical Psychological Science showing that children who spent more time on new media between 2010-2015 were more likely to report mental health issue than those who spent time on non-screen activities such as sports and in-person socializing.
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To Climb the Charts, Write Lyrics That Stand Out
The Beatles revolutionized rock and roll by combining music styles in ways never heard before. Notorious B.I.G. changed the rap game with rhythms and rhymes that strayed from what was normal in the mid 90s.
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No Evidence That Women’s Preference for Masculine Faces Is Linked With Hormones
Data from almost 600 participants show that women’s perceptions of male attractiveness do not vary according to their hormone levels, in contrast with some previous research. The study findings are published in Psychological Science, a
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Santos’ Science of the Good Life is Now Just a Click Away
Over the span of one week in January 2018, Psyc 157: Psychology and the Good Life, became the most popular course in Yale University’s 300-year history–now, anyone can learn how to apply the psychological science
