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Need a hand? Find someone humble
msnbc: If you need a helping hand, reach out to the most humble person you know. In a study published online in the Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers found that humble folks are more likely to offer help to someone in need, compared to those who are, well, arrogant. The study findings are “surprising,” because most studies on helping behavior have focused on situations, rather than personality variables, says psychologist and lead author Jordan LaBouff, Ph.D.
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Majority Groups Support Assimilation—Except When They’re Not Majorities
We generally think that views about how to integrate a diverse society depend on people’s positions in that society—that is, whether they’re in the racial, religious, or cultural majority or a member of a minority. In the U.S., “people tend to believe that blacks prefer pluralism and whites prefer assimilation,” says University of Delaware psychologist Eric Hehman. Assimilation asks minorities—whether newly arrived or historically rooted—to drop their cultural identities and adopt the ways of the majority. Pluralism recognizes and even celebrates minority cultures, which live cooperatively within the majority culture.
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The Unreal World: ‘Carnage’ and child bullying
Los Angeles Times: Ethan Longstreet (Eliot Berger), age 11, has formed a gang at his Brooklyn school but has excluded classmate Zachary Cowan (Elvis Polanski), also age 11. When Zachary confronts him, Ethan taunts Zachary and continues to keep him out of the group. Zachary responds to this rejection by hitting Ethan in the mouth with a stick, knocking out two teeth. Ethan's parents, Penelope (Jodie Foster) and Michael (John C. Reilly), invite Zachary's parents, Alan (Christoph Waltz) and Nancy (Kate Winslet), over to their apartment to discuss the altercation and find a way to resolve their children's dispute amicably.
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Intelligence Is Not the Same as Value
The New York Times: People who do well on a test of one mental ability — let’s say a test of verbal ability — will tend to do well on tests of others — math ability, spatial ability, and so on. This finding, which has been replicated thousands of times, implies that there is a general factor of human intelligence. Psychologists call this factor “g.” We still don’t know what underlies g.
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Why A Teen Who Talks Back May Have A Bright Future
NPR: If you're the parent of a teenager, you likely find yourself routinely embroiled in disputes with your child. Those disputes are the symbol of teen developmental separation from parents. It's a vital part of growing up, but it can be extraordinarily wearing on parents. Now researchers suggest that those spats can be tamed and, in the process, provide a lifelong benefit to children. Researchers from the University of Virginia recently published their findings in the journal Child Development. Psychologist Joseph P. Allen headed the study. Allen says almost all parents and teenagers argue. But it's the quality of the arguments that makes all the difference. Read the whole story: NPR
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New Year’s resolutions in the works? Small steps are best
Los Angeles Times: So, you've made a New Year's resolution to get healthy. No doubt you've banished all cookies and chips from the house and plan to hit the gym every single day. Let's get real. In three months, you're going to be comatose on the sofa with a telltale ring of orange Cheetos crumbs around your mouth. Most people start off the new year by making grand, sweeping changes — and the changes never stick. What does stick? Thinking small: setting modest, attainable goals and slowly chalking up petite successes as you steadily build confidence. It's a strategy that can lead to substantial and sustainable health improvements over time, as fitness and nutrition experts well know.
