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Ellen Langer: Science of Mindlessness and Mindfulness
On Being: Social psychologist Ellen Langer’s unconventional studies have long suggested what brain science is now revealing: our experiences are formed by the words and ideas we attach to them. Naming something “play” rather than
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Science Says There’s No Such Thing as ‘Comfort Food’. We All Beg to Differ
The Guardian: Most of us know this intuitively – that comfort and junk foods are subtly distinct. The former is an emotional as well as a nutritional unit, and the latter is merely a sugar
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Will Facebook Make You Sad? Depends How You Use It
Science Magazine: Using Facebook makes people sadder, at least according to some research. But just what is it about the social network that takes a hit on our mood? A study of the different ways
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Why We Feel Others’ Pain — Or Don’t
When the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 teenage girls from a schoolhouse last month, the world responded with an outpouring of undiluted emotion—shock, outrage, fear, and most of all deep sympathy for
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Elite Colleges Don’t Buy Happiness for Graduates
The Wall Street Journal: A word to high-school seniors rejected by their first choice: A degree from that shiny, elite college on the hill may not matter nearly as much as you think. … University
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What a Great Trip! And I’m Not Even There Yet
The New York Times: Wish you were on vacation right now? Don’t. Taking a vacation won’t necessarily make you happier. But anticipating it will. I first explored this idea while reporting an article about happiness