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When Helping Hurts
The New York Times: AMERICAN parents are more involved in our children’s lives than ever: we schedule play dates, assist with homework and even choose college courses. We know that all of this assistance has costs — depleted bank balances, constricted social lives — but we endure them happily, believing we are doing what is best for our children. What if, however, the costs included harming our children? That unsettling possibility is suggested by a paper published in February in the American Sociological Review. The study, led by the sociologist Laura T.
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Happiness is the best medicine
Salon: We’ve all experienced downward spirals, in which dark emotions lead to destructive behavior that damages our health, strains our relationships, and leaves us feeling even worse than when we started. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an uplifting equivalent to that destructive chain of events? Newly published research suggests there is. What’s more, this delightful dynamic helps explain the well-documented link between joy, appreciation, and good health.
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The Childhood Age That Predicts Future Success
LiveScience: If you want to see which kids will grow up to be the most successful adults, visit their second-grade classroom, new research suggests. A study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland discovered that math and reading ability at age 7 are linked with socioeconomic status several decades later. The researchers found that such childhood abilities predict socioeconomic status in adulthood over and above associations with intelligence, education and socioeconomic status in childhood. ...
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Your Brain on Laughter
TIME: Are they laughing at you or laughing with you? Your brain can tell the difference. Curious about how different types of laughter — mocking, joyful or ticklish — are understood, researchers led by Dirk Wildgruber, professor of neuropsychiatry at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in Germany decided to explore what these different expressions of hilarity looked like in the brain. In contrast, seeing facial expressions (even if you are just imagining them when you are listening to laughter) might be more important in recognizing joy.
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How Can Identical Twins Turn Out So Different?
NPR: A study of genetically identical mice is providing some hints about humans. How can one identical twin be a wallflower while the other is the life of the party? The study of 40 young mice found that their behavior grew increasingly different over three months, even though the mice shared the same genes and lived in the same five-level cage, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science. ... The finding could help scientists finally figure out how one identical twin can become very outgoing while the other remains shy, says Eric Turkheimer, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. Read the whole story: NPR
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Restaurant menu psychology: tricks to make us order more
The Guardian: It's not always easy trying to read a menu while hungry like the wolf, woozy from aperitif and exchanging pleasantries with a dining partner. The eyes flit about like a pinball, pinging between set meal options, side dishes and today's specials. Do I want comforting treats or something healthy? What's cheap? Will I end up bitterly coveting my companion's dinner? Is it immoral to fuss over such petty, first-world dilemmas? Oh God, the waiter's coming over. ... Befuddling menu design doesn't help.
