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Cynicism isn’t as smart as we think it is
In the fourth century BC, cynics wanted to live like dogs. The Cynics were Greek philosophers who rejected conventional ideas about money, power, and shelter. Instead, they advocated living simply, aligned with nature. The founder
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Nobody likes a freeloader—including four-year-old kids
It may come as a shock to parents of young children, but preschoolers are more cooperative than we realize. In a novel study to find out how early our instinct for cooperation begins, Yale researchers
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Republicans and Democrats Generally Agree on Climate Change – But Not With Each Other
People from opposing political parties may agree on the existence and causes of climate change more than they think, a study shows.
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How casual daily interactions protect your health
Close relationships with family and friends, we know, are important for our health and well-being. But what about the people who make up our broader social networks: the parents at school drop-off, the neighbor down
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How Other People’s Investments Can Elicit the Sunk-Cost Fallacy
A researcher looks at the interpersonal side of our tendency to avoid sunk costs.
A researcher takes a fresh look at why people often persist with an unpleasant or unprofitable endeavor because they don’t want the resources they’ve already invested to go to waste.
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Gossiping Is Good
Word on the street is that gossip is the worst. An Ann Landers advice column once characterized it as “the faceless demon that breaks hearts and ruins careers.” The Talmud describes it as a “three-pronged
