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The Problem With Positive Thinking
The New York Times: MANY people think that the key to success is to cultivate and doggedly maintain an optimistic outlook. This belief in the power of positive thinking, expressed with varying degrees of sophistication
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Actually, People Still Like to Think
The New Yorker: This past July, Science published a paper with an alarming conclusion: most people would rather give themselves an electric shock than be alone with their thoughts. A slew of news stories followed, seizing on this dramatic
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Books to Check Out: October 2014
To submit a new book, email [email protected]. Neurobiology of Social Behavior: Toward an Understanding of the Prosocial and Antisocial Brain by Michael Numan; Academic Press, July 22, 2014. The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the
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Guys Prefer Electric Shocks to Boredom
Scientific American: How often have you longed to have time to just sit quietly and think? Well, be careful what you wish for. Because a study shows that many people find such interludes incredibly unpleasant.
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Why Is It So Hard for Us to Do Nothing?
The Wall Street Journal: It is summer time, and the living is easy. You can, at last, indulge in what is surely the most enjoyable of human activities—doing absolutely nothing. But is doing nothing really
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People Prefer Electric Shocks to Being Alone With Their Thoughts
The Atlantic: Considering the many challenges life has to offer, entertaining yourself with your own thoughts for a few minutes seems like one of the easier hurdles to overcome. You could recall your favorite childhood
