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Scientific Proof That No One Wants to Hear Your Vacation Stories
New York Magazine: It is a truth universally acknowledged that when you get back from a vacation and someone says “I want to hear about it!” what they really mean is “I am being polite
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Oldies but goodies
The Boston Globe: WE OFTEN ASSUME that people don’t want to hear the same old story. But psychologists at Harvard and the University of Virginia wondered if people “worry too much about boring their listeners
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To Please Your Friends, Tell Them What They Already Know
We love to tell friends and family about experiences we’ve had and they haven’t—from exotic vacations to celebrity sightings—but new research suggests that these stories don’t thrill them quite as much as we imagine.
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Comfort food doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure
The Washington Post: Food is supposed to make us feel good — content, fulfilled, connected. It’s meant to comfort us physically by easing hunger and bringing satisfaction, and emotionally by bonding us to others as
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Uncommon Insights Into Common Knowledge
APS William James Fellow Steven A. Pinker provides a tour through recent research on the mechanics of common knowledge — and its centrality to everyday life.
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We Dislike Hypocrites Because They Deceive Us
We’re averse to hypocrites because their disavowal of bad behavior sends a false signal, misleading us into thinking they’re virtuous when they’re not, findings from a psychological study show.
