Does faking smiles lead to depression?
re can: It is now clear that positive emotion leads to enhanced psychological functioning. What is less clear, however, is just why this is so. Drawing on a social-functional perspective, we argue that positive emotional behavior that accurately signals to others the individual’s internal state will enhance social connectedness. Positive emotional behavior that does not accurately signal a person’s experience—such as a smile that is not felt—may impede social connectedness and, in turn, psychological functioning. This perspective suggests that (a)…
2 minutes
How much does culture change who we are and how we behave?
bsp; Some interesting examples from The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement: Plays written and produced in Germany are three times as likely to have tragic or unhappy endings than plays written and produced in the United States. Half of all people in India and Pakistan say they would marry without love, but only 2 percent of people in Japan would do so. Nearly a quarter of Americans say they are often afraid of saying the…
1 min read
What makes a great leader?
a The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement: In 2009 Steven Kaplan, Mark Klebanov, and Morten Sorenson completed a study called “Which CEO Characteristics and Abilities Matter?” They relied on detailed personality assessments of 316 CEOs and measured their companies’ performances. There is no one personality style that leads to corporate or any other kind of success. But they found that the traits that correlated most powerfully with success were attention to detail, persistence, efficiency, analytical…
1 min read
Does power reveal people’s true colors?
t necessarily. People with power do show their true colors when no other factors are affecting them. Overall it's more accurate to say that power makes people behave in line with whatever influences easily come to their mind -- whether that's their true desires, their habits or the context they're in. My guess is that the distinction here is that people without power have to consider whether their feelings are appropriate so as to not rock the boat. Powerful people…
2 minutes
Do narcissists come up with superior ideas?
-- but they are better at convincing others that their ideas are good. So don't rely on narcissists to create the best work, but definitely let them present it. Via Brain Trust: 93 Top Scientists Reveal Lab-Tested Secrets to Surfing, Dating, Dieting, Gambling, Growing Man-Eating Plants, and More!: ...researchers at Cornell had students come up with movie ideas and then pitch them to other students. In written form, narcissists’ pitches were no more convincing than those of their peers.…
1 min read
Should we blame the diabetes epidemic on lightbulbs?
a Brain Trust: 93 Top Scientists Reveal Lab-Tested Secrets to Surfing, Dating, Dieting, Gambling, Growing Man-Eating Plants, and More!: "People who work at night have a 150 percent higher rate of metabolic disease,” says Panda. And: "If you overlay the CDC diabetes map with the NASA nighttime satellite map, there’s an almost perfect match,” says Satchin Panda, regulatory biology specialist at the Salk Institute. The more light in a region at night, the higher the incidence of diabetes. According to…
1 min read
What predicts how charitable a country’s citizens are?
w happy its citizens are is a better predictor than wealth. Via Brain Trust: 93 Top Scientists Reveal Lab-Tested Secrets to Surfing, Dating, Dieting, Gambling, Growing Man-Eating Plants, and More!: A Gallup survey of 153 countries found that a country’s overall happiness was a better predictor of its population’s charitable giving than was wealth. In overall giving, the United States ranks sixth, behind (in order) Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and Switzerland. Interestingly, while people in poorer countries were less…
1 min read
Which cologne turns women on the most?
bsp; Trick question: None. That said, women were turned on by a mixture of cucumber and Good 'n' Plenty candy. (DO NOT ASK ME. I HAVE NO IDEA.) Via Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex: Stop wearing cologne. Women don’t find it attractive. If you don’t believe me, here is a quote from a press release from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago: “Men’s colognes actually reduced vaginal blood flow.” Foundation director Al Hirsch…
1 min read
