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Most Personality Quizzes Are Junk Science. Take One That Isn’t.
What’s your personality, and what can it tell you about your true self? Those questions have launched a thousand online personality quizzes. But you can do better than those specious — yet irresistible — quizzes. You can take a personality quiz backed by science. Meet the Big Five, the way most psychologists measure and test personality. It’s a system built on decades of research about how people describe one another and themselves. (You can read more about it in this article we published last year.) There are a couple of things that make it — and this quiz — different. First, the Big Five doesn’t put people into neat personality “types,” because that’s not how personalities really work.
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With new day-care inspection system, high caseloads and shorter visits
Over the past year, the state has launched a new day-care inspection system that requires more frequent visits to each facility, giving operators no notice at least once a year, the better to assess the true quality of each center. But it has come at a cost: The inspectors, who were already monitoring two to four times the caseloads specialists recommend, now spend far less time at most sites. State regulators and some providers say the system, which began in late 2017, will raise safety standards.
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How Psychological Science is Benefiting the World
Perspectives on Psychological Science highlights the many ways that psychology research is helping to cultivate a healthier, happier, and more sustainable world.
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The Best Medicine: Decoding The Hidden Meanings Of Laughter
Here's how it usually goes: You're working from home and you dial in to a conference call for the morning meeting. Everyone is cheerfully talking around the table. You can't believe what a good time everyone seems to be having, talking about nothing. --- In the early 1990s, neuroscientist Robert Provine and colleagues conducted a study to find out what sparked laughter in conversations. Some of the "hilarious" phrases they observed included: "I'll see you guys later.""It was nice meeting you, too.""I see your point.""Look, it's Andre!" You can read about Provine's observational study here.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A series of articles highlighting diverse perspectives on the prevalence and reliability of recovered memories of abuse.
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You Got Them Exactly the Wrong Thing, Didn’t You?
A few years ago, Sara Aiken planned the perfect romantic Christmas celebration with her husband, Ken. She made eggs Benedict, bacon and Bloody Mary cocktails for brunch. Then the couple lounged around in their pajamas and exchanged gifts. Ms. Aiken gave her husband a foul-weather jacket for sailing, some history books, cashmere socks and a pair of cuff links. She didn’t see any packages for herself under the tree, but got excited when he handed her a Christmas card and said her gift was in it. “I remember thinking: ‘The possibilities are endless!’” says Ms. Aiken, who is 58 and owns a pickleball paddle manufacturing company in Eastport, Md. “It could be a cool trip.
