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Surgeons Need a Warm-up Routine
Do surgeons need to “warm-up” before they start an operation? New research from the UK shows that skilled surgeons speed up after the first operation of the day - especially if they repeat the same procedure on the next patient. A trainee surgeon and a neuroscientist analysed data from operating lists of highly-experienced surgeons in private hospitals – and now want to create a warm-up routine which could help all surgeons. Prescription medicines are now free for everyone under the age of 25 in Canada – an estimated 4 million people. Those behind the OHIP PLUS policy hope that the 1 in 10 Canadian families who have struggled to pay for medications will now be able to buy them.
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How Monotony Promotes Sleepiness in Self-Driving Vehicles
Scientists are studying whether engaging in interesting tasks in an autonomous car might keep drivers awake and alert, or might distract them from preparing to take control of the vehicle when necessary.
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Starbucks’s Troubles Can Be a Test for Anti-Bias Training: Does It Work?
Earlier this month, two black men were arrested for trespassing at a Starbucks cafe in Philadelphia. They were waiting for a friend but had not bought anything and would not leave, so the store manager called 911. The friend showed up just as six police officers handcuffed the two men and led them away. Viral cellphone videos, news reports and protests made the incident an international example of corporate racial insensitivity. In response, Starbucks announced last week that it will close all 8,000 of its company-owned stores nationwide for an entire afternoon on Tuesday, May 29, to give all of its employees training in racial-bias reduction.
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Revisiting the Marshmallow Test
Remember the marshmallow test? Stanford University researchers in the early 1960s offered young children a choice between one sweet treat they could immediately eat, or two they could enjoy after a short wait. They found those who took the second option ultimately got higher test scores, and generally had more successful lives. That ability to delay gratification is usually described as an internal trait, perhaps enhanced by proper parenting. But new research suggests another element is also at play. It reports kids faced with this now-or-later dilemma are strongly influenced by their peers' pattern of behavior.
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The Powerful Motivation of Paying Upfront
Dear Dan, I know that you’ve often written about money as a motivator. This semester, I would like to join a yoga class that requires a substantial one-time registration fee. Will paying this amount in advance motivate me to attend regularly to make up for the money I’ve spent? —Jeff Yes, we’re much more likely to do things when we commit to them in advance and have sunk costs. One challenge with this approach is that, over time, you might forget that you have paid that large initial fee. I would recommend that you print the receipt from your one-time registration fee, laminate it and attach it to the door of your refrigerator.
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What Americans Can Learn About Happiness From Denmark
Research shows "hygge," or intentional intimacy, is the driving force behind the Danes' generally positive attitude, something largely absent in the U.S. The new World Happiness Report again ranks Denmark among the top three happiest of 155 countries surveyed—a distinction that the country has earned for seven consecutive years. The United States, on the other hand, ranked 18th in this year's World Happiness Report, a four-spot drop from last year's report. Denmark's place among the world's happiest countries is consistent with many other national surveys of happiness (or, as psychologists call it, "subjective well-being"). Scientists like to study and argue about how to measure things.
