What myths do many of us believe about health and living a long life?
bsp; The Longevity Project covers the results of an eight decade study that followed nearly 1500 people from childhood to death. They documented a number of trends disproving many commonly held beliefs about what is healthy and what leads to a long life: Our studies have uncovered a series of what we call dead-end myths— common advice that is not supported by good science and can lead to dead ends in more than one sense of the term. Throughout this…
2 minutes
5 things that (sometimes) unfairly get a bad rap:
bsp; Nagging works: "Managers who are deliberately redundant as communicators move their projects forward more quickly and smoothly than those who are not." Time pressure helps: Heavy time pressure kills creativity and morale. On the other hand, having no deadlines is not optimal either. Much like with stress, low-to-moderate time pressure produces the best results. Stress might increase lifespan: "People are being given rotten advice to slow down, take it easy, stop worrying and retire to Florida. The Longevity Project…
1 min read
How can you ensure success under stress?
bsp; Sian Beilock lays out some great research-based tips in Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To: Reaffirm your self-worth. Before a big test or presentation spend a couple of minutes writing about your many interests and activities. This writing can promote feelings of self-worth. Reaffirming yourself, especially when you question your abilities, can boost your confidence and performance. Map out your complexities. Before taking an important test, spend five minutes…
3 minutes
Do women desire sex more for emotional intimacy or physical pleasure?
bsp; Younger women said intimacy, older women said pleasure. Via Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships: Psychologists Joey Sprague and David Quadagno surveyed women from twenty-two to fifty-seven years of age and found that among those under thirty-five, 61 percent of the women said their primary motivation for sex was emotional, rather than physical. But among those over thirty-five, only 38 percent claimed their emotional motivations were stronger than the…
1 min read
What’s the trick to self control, better habits and being a good person?
ttle reminders can dramatically improve our lives: Text message reminders encouraged saving, reduced smoking and increased voting. Toys and other reminders of childhood influenced people to act more ethically. Mentioning the Ten Commandments before a tempting situation reduced cheating. Guilting people works because reminding others of their transgressions causes them to improve their behavior. It also makes them more likely to accept apologies and forgive. Reminding employees how their jobs are important increases motivation. When reminders surround you they become…
1 min read
Are little rituals a key to health and success?
ybe. Rituals are tied to better health, happier marriages, and a good family life. Via Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy: Interestingly, some rituals have actually been shown to be beneficial to our mental and physical well-being. According to a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology, “In families with predictable routines, children had fewer respiratory illnesses and better overall health, and they performed better in elementary school.” The article added that rituals have a greater effect…
1 min read
Can these little psychology tricks really improve how people perceive you socially?
bsp; Yes, doctors now use method acting techniques to show patients they are paying attention and empathetic: It is hard to consciously fake these signals, thereby falsely communicating your attitude or intention. Method acting does appear to work, however, if you really, fully put yourself into a particular social role. Whether it is as the leader, the team member, or another role, we find that your signaling automatically and unconsciously changes to match. The fact that you can mentally "put…
2 minutes
Can subliminal messages in movies be used to manipulate you? Like in FIGHT CLUB?
bsp; Not if it's a good movie. Subliminal messages only work if we have plenty of unused brainpower. If we're engrossed in a good movie, they won't work. Via Wait: The Art and Science of Delay: Researchers at University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience cited Fight Club as an example in explaining their recent finding that subliminal images affect our behavior only when we have lots of unused brain capacity. In contrast, when our brains are busy (in their…
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