What do you have to do to avoid a mid-life crisis?
obably nothing. Via 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior: The researchers found that concerns about having a midlife crisis were more common than actually experiencing a crisis. And: Several other findings debunk the myth of the midlife crisis. Across studies, only 10–26% (depending on how scientists define the midlife crisis) of people report they’ve experienced a midlife crisis (Brim, 1992; Wethington, 2000). In addition, middle age can be a period of peak psychological functioning…
1 min read
Which pays more: the most stressful jobs or the least stressful?
ey pay the same. Via Harvard Business Review: The least and most stressful jobs in the U.S. pay almost the same wages, according to an annual rating by jobs site CareerCast. Join 25K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here. Related posts: 5 things you need to know before you change jobs What body language signals motivation, social skills and conscientiousness in a job applicant? What are the three keys to moving your career forward?
1 min read
How effective are office team-building exercises?
bsp; Very effective at breeding disconnection and mistrust. Via Shawn Achor's excellent book, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work: It is important to note that building strong social capital does not require that all colleagues become best friends or even that everyone like one another all the time—this would be impossible. But what does matter is that there be mutual respect and authenticity. Coercing employees into awkward icebreakers or forced…
1 min read
Does living together before marriage increase or decrease the chance of divorce?
a The New York Times: In a nationwide survey conducted in 2001 by the National Marriage Project, then at Rutgers and now at the University of Virginia, nearly half of 20-somethings agreed with the statement, “You would only marry someone if he or she agreed to live together with you first, so that you could find out whether you really get along.” About two-thirds said they believed that moving in together before marriage was a good way to avoid divorce.…
1 min read
Can you really be “addicted to love”?
ybe, but it's unlikely to be at all common among healthy people. Via Mark Griffiths' blog: By applying these basic criteria to love, I would guess (as I have never done any empirical research on this topic) that there would be very few genuine ‘love addicts’. When people first meet and fall in love, many of the criteria above may be temporarily experienced, but this is due to the effect of novelty, and may not be particularly long lasting. There…
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Do most people take out payday loans in order to repay payday loans?
bsp; Yes. Via The Consumerist: Listen to the payday loan industry and their apologists and they'll try to tell you that their customers are savvy and just need of a break to tide them over. But a new survey shows that most payday loans are to repay other payday loans. Join 25K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here. Related posts: 8 ways that money can buy happiness How much money does a 5'6" man need to make to be…
1 min read
How do you make life-changing decisions?
e very smart Ryan Holiday has an excellent post up about making big decisions. These were my takeaways: Whatever happens, you’ll be fine. You’re not deciding whether to do opt for chemo or not. Get information, not advice. Think about where you want to go, back out your decisions from there. Consider opportunity costs. Sometimes, you have to act before you're ready. Rely on cognitive dissonance to protect you from regret. Generally, act in a way that leaves as many…
1 min read
Is improving your life as easy as changing how you sit or stand?
ur mind moves you, but how you move also affects your mind. Recent research in the area of embodied cognition confirms we can improve how we think and behave by changing how we sit, stand and move. What are the practical implications and how can we use this to our advantage? Posture is vital. The military makes soldiers stand up straight for a reason; there's an implicit connection between posture and power that has been demonstrated time and time again.…
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