How much of happiness is under our control? How can we make the most of it?
ppiness doesn't just make us feel good; it can also objectively improve our lives: A recent and comprehensive meta-analysis revealed a wide variety of benefits that accrue from positive emotion and well-being, including greater career success, better relationship functioning, increased creativity, enhanced physical health, and even longer life expectancy (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). Source: "Is It Possible to Become Happier? (And If So, How?)" from Social and Personality Psychology Compass 1/1 (2007): 129–145 Are the rich happier? Yes, but…
3 minutes
5 things you didn’t know about infidelity:
Women who wear the pants in the relationship are more likely to cheat: The imbalance of power in the primary relationship has been associated with infidelity. Edwards and Booth (1976) found that wives who reported that they “get their way” more often during disagreements were also more likely to have extramarital sexual involvements. Source: Tsapelas, I, HE Fisher, and A Aron (2010) “Infidelity: when, where, why.” IN WR Cupach and BH Spitzberg, The Dark Side of Close Relationships II,…
2 minutes
Can classical music make you smarter?
udents who heard Bach or Mozart during a lecture scored much higher when tested on the material. Via Miller-McCune: As every teacher knows, it is one thing to impart information; it’s quite another for students to absorb it, process it, and be able to regurgitate it. New research suggests educators can help this to occur by turning to some old friends: Beethoven, Bach, and Tchaikovsky. And: For one group, the lecture was accompanied by a series of familiar classical pieces,…
1 min read
Can subliminal messages really influence us?
bliminally priming people with the goal "to trust" made them more open to influence: We investigated the effect of goal priming on the processing of a persuasive message. Before reading a persuasive message about tap water consumption, participants were subliminally primed (or not) with the goal “to trust”. Subsequently, they completed a questionnaire about their perception of the message, the source of the message, and tap water consumption intentions. The results indicated that non-conscious activation of the goal “to trust”…
1 min read
Can your imagination improve your next job interview?
ople who speant time visualizing the interview going well performed better in the real interview: In this study, interviewees in the training group were instructed to use mental imagery techniques in a simulated employment interview. Results indicated that the subjects who used mental imagery had higher performance in the interview and lower perceived stress than the subjects who did not use mental imagery. Mental imagery did not have a significant effect upon perceptions of self-efficacy. Mental imagery ability had a…
1 min read
Are there really devices that can increase the size of a man’s penis?
parently there are: Introduction. It has been suggested that the application of penile-extender devices increases penile length and circumference. However, there are a few scientific studies in this field. Aims. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a penile-extender (Golden Erect®, Ronas Tajhiz Teb, Tehran, Iran) in increasing penile size. Methods. This prospective study was performed on subjects complaining about “short penis” who were presented to our clinic between September 15, 2008 and December 15, 2008.…
2 minutes
What’s the secret to better to-do lists?
specific and make sure to include a time estimate for all tasks. Via the WSJ: A well-maintained list is "an essential tool for staying grounded, for saving your energy and for doing things rather than trying to remember what to do," says Julie Morgenstern, a New York author and expert on time management. Effective to-do lists are limited to specific tasks that can be tackled right away and finished fairly soon, Ms. Morgenstern says. Instead of listing "solve client…
1 min read
Can “emotion gaming” make you a better negotiator?
ople who were able to convince the other side that a first offer made them angry got better deals: Via CBC News: Want a better deal when negotiating the price of a car or house? Make sellers believe you are upset with them over their initial offer, suggests new research into consumer behaviour. Marketing experts with the University of California at Berkeley call the behaviour "emotion gaming," and say their study shows not only is it a powerful negotiating technique,…
1 min read
