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I Was Trying to Build My Son’s Resilience, Not Scar Him for Life
... Resilience is a popular term in modern psychology that, put simply, refers to the ability to recover and move on from adverse events, failure or change. “We don’t call it ‘character’ anymore,” said Jelena Kecmanovic, director of Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute. “We call it the ability to tolerate distress, the ability to tolerate uncertainty.” Studies suggest that resilience in kids is associated with things like empathy, coping skills and problem-solving, though this research is often done on children in extreme circumstances and may not apply to everybody.
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To Lead a Meaningful Life, Become Your Own Hero
What do Beowulf, Batman and Barbie all have in common? Ancient legends, comic book sagas and blockbuster movies alike share a storytelling blueprint called “the hero’s journey.” This timeless narrative structure, first described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949, describes ancient epics, such as the Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh, and modern favorites, including the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings series. Many hero’s journey stories have become cultural touchstones that influence how people think about their world and themselves.
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AI-Generated Faces Now Look More Real Than Ever. Can You Spot the Fake Ones?
AI-generated faces of white people now seem more real than actual ones, according to a new study which raises concerns that the technology may be used to fool people. More people thought AI-generated white faces were human than the faces of real people, while the same wasn’t true for the images of people of colour, according to research published recently in the journal Psychological Science. “If white AI faces are consistently perceived as more realistic, this technology could have serious implications for people of colour by ultimately reinforcing racial biases online,” study co-author Amy Dawel from the Australian National University, said. ...
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How Lack of Independent Play Is Impacting Children’s Mental Health
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: We've been hearing a lot about the mental health crisis among children. Researchers have looked at a number of reasons, from social media use to isolation during the pandemic. But a recent commentary published in the Journal of Pediatrics looked at another factor - the decline of independent activity and play for children. Peter Gray is the lead author of that piece. For years, he's been following the trend of declining mental health in kids and the declining levels of independent play. He joins us now. Welcome. PETER GRAY: I'm very happy to be here.
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Humans Absorb Bias From AI—and Keep It After They Stop Using the Algorithm
Artificial intelligence programs, like the humans who develop and train them, are far from perfect. Whether it’s machine-learning software that analyzes medical images or a generative chatbot, such as ChatGPT, that holds a seemingly organic conversation, algorithm-based technology can make errors and even “hallucinate,” or provide inaccurate information. Perhaps more insidiously, AI can also display biases that get introduced through the massive data troves that these programs are trained on—and that are indetectable to many users. Now new research suggests human users may unconsciously absorb these automated biases.
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Don’t Shut Down Your Anger. Channel It.
There is an upside to feeling angry. According to research published this week in the “Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,” anger is more helpful at motivating people to overcome obstacles and meet their goals than a neutral emotional state. In a series of seven experiments, researchers recruited undergraduate students at Texas A&M University and, in some cases, elicited anger by showing the students images that insulted their school, like people in Aggie shirts wearing diapers and carrying baby bottles. “It worked well,” said Heather C. Lench, the lead author of the study and a professor in the psychological and brain sciences department at Texas A&M. ...
