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BFFing yourself: People pick friends just like themselves
TODAY Health: Ever wonder what your friends see in you? It might just be themselves, according to new research published in the scientific social psychology journal Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. "When you have opportunity to choose your friends, you will tend to choose people who are similar to you; there's a lot of evidence that we like similar others," says Chris Crandall, psychology professor at the University of Kansas and co-author of the study entitled "Social Ecology of Similarity: Big Schools, Small Schools and Social Relationships." "It's an amazingly powerful affect.
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Active lifestyle, positive thinking keeps you feeling young
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Dennis Czarnowski plays softball nearly every day, works full time -- and even closes down the bars regularly, playing billiards and other games while drinking soda with friends. People might be surprised to know that Czarnowski turns 60 on Oct. 9 -- the day before he'll attend a Helmet concert, and participate in the mosh pit. He has a grandchild and a great-grandchild. But who says he's too old for these activities? "I feel like I'm a 27-year-old," says the Tarentum resident, who owns Del's Custard in Natrona Heights. Is 60 really the new 40, as people say? Or 80 the new 60?
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Blame it on the alcohol? Maybe not, study suggests
msnbc: It’s a trap that most of us have fallen into: making a rash or regrettable decision after a few cold Coors Lights. Blame it on the booze, right? A new study out of the University of Missouri College of Arts and Sciences sheds light on how the brain processes mistakes in the presence of alcohol. In a finding that runs contrary to previous thinking, it turns out we still know we are making mistakes when intoxicated. We just don’t care as much. “I suppose the main implication is that people shouldn’t assume ‘I was drunk’ is a good excuse for doing things one knows he or she shouldn’t be doing,” wrote the study’s author, Dr. Bruce Bartholow of the University of Missouri, in an e-mail.
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Selbstmitleid lindert Trennungsschmerz
FOCUS: Über eine Scheidung freut sich niemand. Zu der Traurigkeit über die zerbrochene Ehe kommen häufig noch belastende Diskussionen hinzu – wer muss wem wie viel zahlen, wer bekommt das Haus, wie oft hütet wer die Kinder? Trotz aller Querelen lassen sich manche Menschen von dieser Krise nicht unterkriegen, während andere in ein tiefes Loch fallen. Der Schlüssel dafür liegt im Selbstmitleid, sagen Forscher der University of Arizona. Sie sehen Selbstmitleid dabei positiv als empathischen, mitfühlenden Umgang mit sich selbst.
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Rethinking Gifted Education Policy – A Call to Action
Children with extraordinary academic talents should receive the kind of coaching and training opportunities that are typically reserved for performance and athletic abilities, researchers argue.
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Even a Few Minutes of This Can Boost Happiness, Says Study
Huffington Post: I have been experimenting with mindfulness meditation recently. Originally a Buddhist practice, mindfulness meditation focuses on moment-to-moment awareness, of one's body and its sensations and one's immediate surroundings. When thoughts intrude on this aware state -- as they always do -- you gently let them go as you return to the moment. It's very calming -- and really hard. It's hard because the mind does not want to stop churning out thoughts. I'm told that with time and practice, meditation becomes easier, and what's more that it brings a variety of emotional and health benefits. Those testimonials are why I'm doing this, but I confess the prospect is daunting.
