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Why Cleaned Wastewater Stays Dirty In Our Minds
NPR: Brent Haddad studies water in a place where water is often in short supply: California. Haddad is a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. About 14 years ago, he became very interested in the issue of water reuse. At the time, a number of California's local water agencies were proposing a different approach to the state's perennial water problems. They wanted to build plants that would clean local waste water — a.k.a. sewage water — and after that cleaning, make it available as drinking water. But, says Haddad, these proposals were consistently shot down by an unwilling public. Read the whole story: NPR
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Story ‘Spoilers’ May Boost Enjoyment
U.S. News & World Report: Although many people think that flipping to the back of the book or knowing a story's ending before it even starts will "spoil" it, a new study revealed knowing what happens in the end may actually help people enjoy a story even more. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego added that this holds true for tales with ironic-twists, mysteries and suspenseful thrillers. The investigators conducted three experiments involving 12 short stories written by various authors, including John Updike, Roald Dahl, Anton Chekhov, Agatha Christie and Raymond Carver. The stories fell into three categories: ironic-twist, mystery and literary.
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Hey, You! Mean People Earn More, Study Finds
The Wall Street Journal: It may not pay to be nice in the workplace. A new study finds that agreeable workers earn significantly lower incomes than less agreeable ones. The gap is especially wide for men. The researchers examined "agreeableness" using self-reported survey data and found that men who measured below average on agreeableness earned about 18% more—or $9,772 more annually in their sample—than nicer guys. Ruder women, meanwhile, earned about 5% or $1,828 more than their agreeable counterparts. "Nice guys are getting the shaft," says study co-author Beth A.
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Spoiler Alert: Knowing the ending enhances the story
CTV News: Reading the final chapter of a book first or researching plot-spoiling movie reviews online before going to the cinema could actually enhance your entertainment experience, rather than lessen it, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that, quite simply, stories are not spoiled by spoilers. Just the opposite is true, in fact. When subjects in a study conducted by the university's psychology department were asked to rate their enjoyment of various stories, they almost always picked the ones where they knew the outcome ahead of time.
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For Men, ‘Culture of Honor’ Can Be Deadly
U.S. News & World Report: Psychologists call it the "culture of honor," a mostly male mindset that places a high value on defending one's reputation at any cost. But new research confirms that it's linked with high rates of accidental deaths. "People who embrace these values also report more risk-taking," explained study author Dr. Ryan Brown, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman. This dangerous male mindset is also more prevalent among those living in the South and West, in such states as South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming, he added. Read the whole story: U.S. News & World Report
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Understanding Academic Stressors
Whether it’s before a big presentation, during an exam, or after grades have been posted, at some point or another, everyone experiences stress in school. Sian Beilock’s research analyzes how stress in academic settings affects performance. She is interested in various academic stressors such as the chronic stress that a female math major might experience from the negative stereotype that “men are superior to women in math,” the pressure that most people experience while taking a high-stakes college admissions test, and the anxieties some hold about their performance in a particular academic area (e.g., math anxiety).
