Why do lies often stick better than the truth?
bsp; Discussing misinformation while trying to correct it often strengthens the inaccurate belief. Via The Chronicle of Higher Education: “There is a risk that repeating an association can make it stronger in memory,” says Ullrich K.H. Ecker, another author, in an e-mail. “Saying that ‘it’s incorrect that the flu vaccine has major side effects’ repeats and hence potentially strengthens the link between ‘vaccine’ and ‘side effects’ even though it negates it,” notes Ecker, an assistant professor of psychology at Western Australia.…
1 min read
How To Make Your Next Job Interview A Success: 5 Secrets From Research
bsp; Studies show first impressions matter even more than you think. They’re the most important part of any job interview. And once they’re set, they are very hard to resist. Optimize first impressions from the outset by framing the conversation with a few well-rehearsed sentences regarding how you want to be perceived. Research shows this will end up being the structure the other person forms their memories around. Your handshake, body language and appearance all matter. In fact, the weather matters. If you have the…
2 minutes
Does love predict success?
r over 70 years, Harvard researchers have been tracking the health and success of a group of men from the class of 1940. (I've posted about this study before here.) Across the board, men with better relationships are more successful. Via Positive Psychology News, (Hat tip: Chris Yeh) The final predictor “Object Relations (age 30-47)” subtracted points for not being married for more than ten years, not having children, being distant from own children, having few friends, no contact with family…
2 minutes
Do great leaders need experience?
rvard Business School professor Gautam Mukunda's new book Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter shows that the very best leaders (and the very worst) don't take the traditional career path. Steve Jobs and Abraham Lincoln are two examples. Their careers didn't follow the typical progression and this allowed them to think outside the box. Via Harvard Business Review: Gautam Mukunda studied political, business, and military leaders, categorizing them into two groups: “filtered leaders,” insiders whose careers followed a normal progression; and “unfiltered leaders,”…
2 minutes
What should you eat to be happier and more attractive?
ppiness increases with the amount of fruit and vegetables people consume, peaking at 7 portions a day: Economists and public health researchers from the University of Warwick studied the eating habits of 80,000 people in Britain. They found mental wellbeing appeared to rise with the number of daily portions of fruit and vegetables people consumed. Wellbeing peaked at seven portions a day. Does 7 servings sound like too much? Stay miserable and get sexy with 3.3. That amount made research…
1 min read
What’s the secret to coming up with creative solutions to complex problems?
bsp; Take a break and do something habitual, like going for a walk or taking a nap. Both experimentally and anecdotally this has been shown to promote "Eureka!" moments. Via The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success: Have you ever struggled with a problem for a long time only to go for a walk and have the solution suddenly pop into your head? As any scientist, mathematician, or anyone else who wrestles with complex issues on a…
1 min read
Is ignorance bliss?
bsp; Smart people are happier. Via Medical News Today: People with lower IQs tend to be less happy and have poorer health in general than individuals with higher IQs, researchers from University College London reported in Psychological Medicine. And: The authors found that there was a significant link between IQ and levels of happiness: People with the lowest IQs (IQ of 70 to 99) were found to have the poorest levels of happiness People with the highest IQ (IQ of 120…
1 min read
Is there an easy way to quickly increase self-control?
ish a sugary beverage around in your mouth -- you don't even have to drink it. Via NBC News: Simply swishing a glucose-laden drink in the mouth and spitting it out boosted self-control and willpower for tasks from squeezing a handgrip to completing impossible brain teasers, the new study found. And: "So, practically, when people think that they are going to engage in a demanding task requiring self-control for a period of time (such as doing some boring filing, doing exercise, and resisting…
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