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QI : sommes-nous vraiment en train de devenir moins intelligents? (Are we really becoming less intelligent?)
Vous êtes moins intelligents que vos parents et vos enfants le seront encore moins que vous. C’est en substance l’idée répandue par une minorité de scientifiques depuis quelques années. Selon eux, le QI des populations occidentales ne cesserait de diminuer ces dernières décennies dans les pays développés. Et une nouvelle étude publiée le 11 juin dans la revue américaine PNAS (Compte rendus de l’académie américaine des sciences) abonde une nouvelle fois dans ce sens, bien que les résultats ne soient pas généralisables. Selon les auteurs de cette étude, deux économistes scandinaves, le QI des hommes norvégiens nés entre 1962 et 1991 baisse d’année en année.
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Is our culture decent enough to keep tipping?
I have a rude habit that I can’t shake whenever I’m at a restaurant with someone who is picking up the check or splitting the bill with me. I always, always sneak back to the table and check to see what they tipped. Yes, it is totally a moral litmus test on several levels. The size of a gratuity is insight into character or life experience. Or math skills. And it’s the big issue on the D.C. ballot Tuesday, one that some say threatens the American culture of tipping and, ultimately, our restaurant industry. The practice of tipping goes back to 18th-century English pub culture, when a coin would be given “To Insure Promptness” — T.I.P.
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In Sports, a Must-Win Situation Usually Leads to a Loss
On May 31st, Mauricio Macri, the President of Argentina, met with the members of the nation’s soccer team as they departed for training before the World Cup, which opens, in Russia, on Thursday. “Whatever we Argentinians achieve, we will be happy,” Macri told the squad, in televised remarks. “And it is not true that if one does not become a champion, one is a failure; that is a madness that does not exist anywhere in the world.” This, coming from the leader of a soccer-mad nation—the home of Lionel Messi, no less—was a shocking concession: Our team might not win the World Cup. And if they don’t, we’ll love them anyway.
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Driving? Your Phone Is A Distraction Even If You Aren’t Looking At It
I was in the car with a friend recently when she pulled up to a stoplight, picked up her phone and replied to a text. I gave her the side eye. What? she glared back. “I only use my phone when we’re stopped.” “OK, fine,” I said. But, I wondered, is it? We all know that it’s dangerous to text while driving, but our phones have become overlords that demand our constant attention. In the car, I limit my phone use to things I can do hands-free — talking and listening to preloaded playlists — and assumed this made me safer. But I may be fooling myself.
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The Words That Can Signal You’re Depressed
Feeling down? Pay attention to your language. Language changes significantly in both content and word choice in people who are depressed, according to a growing body of research using computer programs to analyze speech and writing. People who are depressed tend to use the pronoun “I” more, indicating a greater focus on self. They also use “absolute” words like “must,” “completely,” “should” or “always,” reflecting an overly black-or-white outlook. Scientists have long known that people change how they speak when they are depressed—their speech becomes lower, more monotone and more labored, with more stops, starts and pauses.
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A new study on the psychology of persistent regrets can teach you how to live now
Lingering regrets, the kind you hang onto for years, can be great company, returning daily to keep some part of you living an alternate version of your life and career. They’re the stuff of sublime tragic novels and films. They can even be functional if they propel you forward, determined not to make the same mistakes again. Intuitively, though, we know that left to fester, regrets can control your mood to ill effect and make you miserable. The solution is not to repress the thoughts or take on some kind of delusional “no regrets” bravado, says Shai Davidai, a psychology professor at The New School and co-author of a recent study on regret.
