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When Backup Plans Backfire
Backup plans can change the way that a person pursues a goal, as well as the likelihood of achieving it, even if the backup plans are never even used.
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The Supremely Old, Supremely Sharp, Supreme Court
The Atlantic: Justice Antonin Scalia, more than any other Supreme Court justice, set the parameters for the constitutional debates of this era. The sharpness of his mind and the rigor of his jurisprudence were regularly on display up until his passing. As those of us fortunate enough to have directly engaged with him in recent years can attest, up until his last breath, there was no indication that he had dulled in his ability to navigate the incredible intellectual challenges that were his job description. ... But what does the inevitable deterioration of fluid intelligence mean in terms of the ability to work into the golden years? The answer, unsatisfyingly, defies easy generalization.
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How Meditation Changes the Brain and Body
The New York Times: The benefits of mindfulness meditation, increasingly popular in recent years, are supposed to be many: reduced stress and risk for various diseases, improved well-being, a rewired brain. But the experimental bases to support these claims have been few. Supporters of the practice have relied on very small samples of unrepresentative subjects, like isolated Buddhist monks who spend hours meditating every day, or on studies that generally were not randomized and did not include placebo control groups. ... To meditate mindfully demands ‘‘an open and receptive, nonjudgmental awareness of your present-moment experience,’’ says J.
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What Is The Psychological Effect Of Naming Storms?
NPR: Nick Epley at the University of Chicago has been studying the effects of naming inanimate things like storms. He finds that doing so gives them human-like qualities —among them, intentionality. Along with plenty of ice, sleet and snow, much of the country has also been blanketed this winter by an avalanche of names. When winter storms assault us, they now come with names like Hercules, Janus and, the most recent storm, Pax. Here's NPR's social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam on why we name winter storms and how those names might affect us. Read the whole story: NPR
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People can tell how trustworthy you are by looking at your face
The Daily Mail: In the age of internet dating, where decisions are made on the swipe of a photo, your face could be revealing more about you than you realise. Researchers have discovered that people can accurately rate how trustworthy someone is by picking up on subtle clues in their expressions. Although this has been suggested before, this latest study specifically found some people don't have 'guilty faces' but instead their expressions reflect how they think others see them. ... This can make you look and act shifty, perpetuating the original observation. To test the theory, Michael Slepian and Daniel Ames from Columbia Business School put their students through a series of experiments.
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Early Behavior Therapy Found to Aid Children With A.D.H.D.
The New York Times: Children with attention-deficit problems improve faster when the first treatment they receive is behavioral — like instruction in basic social skills — than when they start immediately on medication, a new study has found. Beginning with behavioral therapy is also a less expensive option over time, according to a related analysis.
