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Research suggests friends are how we survive work
What motivates you to come to work? At times it may be money, a sense of progress, or the opportunity to contribute to society. But when it’s a rainy Friday morning and we’re low on sleep, research suggests our real motivation isn’t a what, it’s a who. Here are the five types of colleagues that make us look forward to coming to the office. The Inspiration is your platonic work crush: you don’t want to be with them, you want to be them. This person can either be a formal mentor (someone who knows they are mentoring you), or simply a more experienced colleague you deeply admire (someone you learn from by osmosis).
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Is Your Child Lying to You? That’s Good
Should parents be troubled when their kids start to deceive them? Odds are, most of us would say yes. We believe honesty is a moral imperative, and we try to instill this belief in our children. Classic morality tales like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “Pinocchio” speak to the dangers of dishonesty, and children who lie a lot, or who start lying at a young age, are often seen as developmentally abnormal, primed for trouble later in life. But research suggests the opposite is true. Lying is not only normal; it’s also a sign of intelligence.
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Dominant Leaders are Bad for Groups. Why Do They Succeed?
Dominant group members tend to view others as either allies or foes as a way of evaluating their usefulness.
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Seven science-backed tips for forming habits that stick
Banishing bad habits and converting them to good ones is not easy. As Mark Twain once wrote, “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs one step at a time.” But how do we coax the bad habit down the stairs and out the door while encouraging the new one up the stairs and into the parlor? Changing a habit takes several concrete steps; you cannot just make a proclamation about your weight or introversion and expect that it will come to pass. Changing behavior requires replacing undesirable mental cues and associations with constructive ones—that is, rewiring your brain through thoughts and deeds.
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Angela Duckworth On Grit And The Power Of Perseverance
Is grit the secret sauce that drives success? More important than both talent and intellect? We’re talking the power and limits of grit. Grit is the new buzzword for success: At work, in school, in the gym. The research shows that grit really does matter after all. More than intelligence. More than talent. Even more than hard work. It’s a combination of unshakable motivation, persistence, and determination. And the belief that improvement is always possible. Maybe, it’s grit that can set you apart. Up next On Point: True grit. -Jane Clayson
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Most Personality Quizzes Are Junk Science. I Found One That Isn’t.
If I were a witch, my Hogwarts House would be Ravenclaw. Or possibly Slytherin. It depends on what publication is directing the Harry Potter Sorting Hat’s work. I am also a mild extrovert, my moral alignment is neutral, and the Star Wars character I’m most like is the Tauntaun Luke sleeps inside of in “Empire Strikes Back.” Another big part of my personality: I really like online personality quizzes. Maybe you could tell. But I’ve never really taken these tests seriously. Not even the Myers-Briggs — a test that is frequently used in professional development and hiring settings and costs $50 to take online. ($55.94 with tax. I’m an ENTP.) Call me cynical. Call me a skeptic.
