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Why We Procrastinate — And How We Can Stop
wbur: For many people, procrastination is a strong urge that can derail even the simplest tasks. It's tempting to put off writing a paper or paying bills or taking care of something important and instead check Facebook or turn on the television. Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson talks with Carleton University psychology professor Tim Pychyl (@procrastwitate) about why procrastination is such a common problem, and how we can stop doing it. ... "Well there's lot of kinds of delay, and procrastination is one form of delay.
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How Kids Catch Our Social Biases
Scientific American: While on the campaign trail Donald Trump was criticized for an incident in which he performed an exaggerated and unflattering impression of journalist Serge Kovaleski, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist with a physical disability. While Mr. Trump insists that he was not mocking Mr. Kovaleski—and instead pointed out that he referred to Mr. Kovleski as “a nice reporter”—his nonverbal signals told a different story. Those signals probably sent a powerful message. Recent research has explored whether young children develop bias against people by watching the nonverbal displays of the adults around them.
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One Mistake That Can Affect Your Child’s Weight
Real Simple: Parents who think their children are overweight may trigger a self-fulfilling prophecy, according to a new analysis of two decade-long studies. Kids whose parents considered them chunky at age 4 or 5 tended to put on more pounds in subsequent years, compared to those whose parents thought they were a normal weight. ... “Younger children don’t have the brain capacity to understand all the grey areas when it comes to gaining or losing weight,” Leslie Connor, PhD, a counseling psychologist in Wilmington, Delaware, told Health at the time.
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Moderate screen use ‘boosts teen wellbeing’
BBC: A study of screen time and mental wellbeing among teenagers has suggested moderate use of devices may be beneficial in a connected world. The researchers collected self-reported data from 120,000 English 15-year-olds about their digital device habits. They found a "Goldilocks effect" where a few hours of device-use seemed to boost mental wellbeing. One developmental psychologist welcomed the paper but said there was still room for more study. "Moderate engagement in digital activities is not harmful," notes the paper, published today in the journal Psychological Science. Read the whole story: BBC
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The Real Problem With Hypocrisy
The New York Times: What, exactly, is the problem with hypocrisy? When someone condemns the behavior of others, why do we find it so objectionable if we learn he engages in the same behavior himself? The answer may seem self-evident. Not practicing what you preach; lacking the willpower to live up to your own ideals; behaving in ways you obviously know are wrong — these are clear moral failings. Perhaps. But new research forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science (and in collaboration with our colleague Paul Bloom), suggests a different explanation. We contend that the reason people dislike hypocrites is that their outspoken moralizing falsely signals their own virtue.
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CAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE HELP IN FLINT?
The New Yorker: A week after Donald Trump’s election, a thirty-year-old cognitive scientist named Maya Shankar purchased a plane ticket to Flint, Michigan. Shankar held one of the more unorthodox jobs in the Obama White House, running the Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, also known as the President’s “nudge unit.” When she launched the team, in early 2014, it felt, Shankar recalls, “like a startup in my parents’ basement”—no budget, no mandate, no bona-fide employees. Read the whole story: The New Yorker
