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Violent video games and real violence: there’s a link but it’s not so simple
The Conversation: Public debate on the effects of violent video games can become especially contentious in the wake of a rampage shooting, such as the recent killing of nine people in Munich. If it is later discovered the perpetrator was a fan of violent video games, as was the Munich killer, it is tempting to think that perhaps violent games “caused” the rampage shooting. But rampage shootings are rare and complex events caused by multiple factors acting together. One can’t accurately predict a rampage shooting based on exposure to violent video games or any other single factor. But this doesn’t mean there isn’t a link between violent video games and aggression.
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Not enjoying your job? Let the spark of passion come first
Wired: The other day, a friend said that the US is the grittiest country in the world. Is it? Is there a surplus in the US of passion and perseverance for long-term goals? Should we be exporting our culture of grit to other countries? "Americans work long hours and take little time off for vacation," she said. "So, we must be the grittiest." ... Thirty years ago, psychologist Benjamin Bloom interviewed 120 world-class performers in maths, neuroscience, swimming, tennis, piano and sculpture. Most said their expertise was from years of skill-building practice. But before practice came play.
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How Noise Pollution Impairs Learning
The Atlantic: One July afternoon in 1972, a team of psychologists took sound meters into the Bridge Apartments, a cluster of four high-rise buildings straddling Interstate 95 in Manhattan. Because of the towers’ proximity to the highway, the hum of traffic filled the buildings’ halls. Even on the eighth floor, the decibel level was 66, just slightly quieter than a running vacuum cleaner. The noise died down as the researchers climbed the stairs, though. On the 32nd floor, the reading was 55 decibels, or about the level of a conversation in a restaurant.
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Working With Jerks Could Be Screwing Up Your Relationships
New York Magazine: There’s more to the relationship between your professional and personal life than setting a witty “away” message when you finally go on vacation. Like Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer would say, acting like there’s a wall between your “work” and your “life” is misguided, since you’re the same being, with the same consciousness, and the same needs, whether you have Slack open or not. ... In what will be no surprise to anyone who’s ever worked with a contemptuous maniac, when people had hostile work experiences — one example from the study is if a colleague “put you down or act[ed] condescending to you” — they were less pleasant to be around when at home.
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Computer game improves children’s math performance
The Baltimore Sun: Parents whose children struggle with math may have new reason to be hopeful: A recent study at the Johns Hopkins University suggests that young people can improve their performance by carrying out a few simple computer exercises unrelated to numbers or math symbols. ... People generally believe that children must practice math problems similar to those they will see on a test in order to get better at math in school. Wang's team took a different approach, testing whether exercising children's approximate number sense, not their learned abilities, would help them perform better in math. It did.
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Face It: Nonprofit CEOs Benefit from Having a Baby Face
Dominant facial features may not be beneficial to leaders in in the nonprofit world, research suggests.
