is it possible to live forever? The person with the longest confirmed lifespan is Jeanne Clement. She lived to be 122 and died in 1997. Imagining living that long almost makes your head hurt. This lady met Vincent Van Gogh. In person. For real. And was around to see the internet too. Imagine your retirement age and middle age being the same thing. She was still riding her bicycle everywhere until 100. Lived on her own until 110. And there's pretty…
sounds crazy at first: How can you possibly become luckier? But it turns out luck isn't chance and magic. There's a science behind it. Richard Wiseman studied very lucky people to figure out what they had in common. In his book, Luck Factor, he explains the four principles you can use to increase luck in your life. 1) Maximize Opportunities It makes intuitive sense: if you lock yourself in your house, how many exciting, serendipitous things are going to happen…
studying what makes a great story you can learn a lot about human nature. Stories aren't just distractions -- our brains are wired for story and studies show they are a fundamental part of the way we perceive the world. Stories are how we form meaning in our lives and they are vital to everything from career to family to happiness. UCLA Film School professor Howard Suber's book The Power of Film is meant to teach cinematic storytelling -- but also conveys deep…
your life was a board game, how would you score it? Remember the Game of Life? It's one of the most popular board games ever. You won if you ended the game with the most money. Here's the interesting thing you probably don't know: The game wasn't always about money. The original version was about vice, virtue and happiness. But when it was re-released in 1960 it was about cash. When Milton Bradley (the man) first created it, he saw…
s, this guy knows the secret to happiness. You've probably already seen the following video. It got about 7 gazillion views and for good reason -- it's very funny. It also sums up what the research says is the most powerful (and easy) way to become happier. Louis CK? Scientific research? Jokes about rotary phones? Huh? Buckle in, I'll explain. "Everything is amazing right now and nobody's happy." Louis CK says that, then he drives it home with this…
o knows about sleep? Astronauts. They have to. Their bodies are cut off from many of the normal external cues that remind us what time it is. But actually, it's even worse than that. In orbit they can experience a dozen sunrises and sunsets a day which makes their circadian rhythm go completely haywire. When you're in a tin can floating through the cold darkness of outer space, being off your game due to lousy sleep can have very bad results.…
now Thyself" The Oracle at Delphi said "Know thyself." And that is deep and profound. It's also a pain in the ass because as with every cliche, the difficulty is in the execution and nobody ever bothers to tell you how to do it properly. I guess they're too busy brainstorming new fortune cookie wisdom while we sit around thinking they're smart for coming up with it and we're dumb for not being able to follow through. Knowing yourself is…
ading a lot about the science of human behavior can make you cynical, sometimes deservedly so, but cynical nonetheless. On this blog I try to be accurate and useful and, as I have posted, research shows there is great power in optimism and hope. So I want to take a second to step back from brass tacks and take a look at some studies that can renew a faith in humanity. The world is not always fair. The bad are…
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