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Why It’s So Hard to Make Risk Decisions in the Pandemic
Over the past two years, I like to think I’ve gotten practiced at a type of wretched multivariable calculus: pandemic decision-making. The process starts with the blue bubble of a texted invitation or a date flagged on the calendar—a party Saturday, a sibling’s high-school basketball game, a second cousin’s middle-school Quidditch match, a cross-country flight for a grandparent’s 90th birthday. Then other factors pile on like dog hair accumulates on a white couch. What’s the transmission rate right now and is that number even reliable, if it’s reported at all? If I get sick, what’s the likeliest outcome, given how long it’s been since my last jab, age and other risk factors?
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New Content From Perspectives on Psychological Science
A sample of articles on children’s development, unobtrusive measure of discrimination, well-being, selfishness, a model for mental-health interventions, gender differences, psychedelic drugs and social connection, neoliberalism and equity beliefs, mixed emotions, and adopted utility calculus.
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Use This Simple Mental Trick to Save More Money
Americans like to spend. Unfortunately, 70% of Americans admit to bad spending habits, leading them to overspend by nearly $7,500 per year. Unless we change our spending habits and learn how to save, we will soon be facing a full blown retirement crisis. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates that about half of working-age households are "at risk" when it comes to their retirements. This means they will not have the savings they need to retire comfortably. What's the solution to the problem? Education or awareness isn't the primary issue. A whopping 80% of those surveyed believed they were fully capable of improving their spending habits.
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4 Ways to Improve Performance: Cool New Science on Motivation
Performing well, getting things done and constantly improving are part of the human experience. People have an instinct to matter—and you want to do great things in your work and in your personal life. And now is the perfect time to reset your motivation and reengage your efforts. Science has discovered new ways to get motivated and improve performance—and certain tactics work better than others. The research is well-timed: Performance is top-of-mind for the majority of people. According to a study by Monster, a third of workers regularly think about quitting their jobs, and research from Fidelity reveals 61% already have.
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Loneliness Is a Public Health Emergency. Here’s What Helps, According to Experts
When the pandemic first began, many experts feared that even people who managed to avoid the virus would suffer from unprecedented levels of loneliness. What would happen when millions of people were told to stay at home and distance themselves from friends and loved ones? Two years of research later, experts have found that the pandemic did make Americans slightly more lonely—but loneliness levels were already dire enough to pose a threat to mental and physical health. Here’s what you need to know about loneliness and how to address it in your own life. ...
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Intergenerational Narratives: Providing Models of Resistance and Building Hope
We are in a “narrative crisis” according to Bryan Stevenson, the author of Just Mercy. Mr. Stevenson was a keynote speaker at the Association for Psychological Science annual meetings last week that I attended. He spoke eloquently about the role of narrative in creating a shared American story, often called “The American Dream.” But this narrative is in crisis as we struggle to achieve social justice, to achieve a narrative that encompasses all of us, a story that foregrounds the challenges while simultaneously championing the triumphs. We need an American story that holds our sorrows as well as sings our praises. ...
