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The Science of Compassion
NPR: Kellie Gillespie is in her early 40s. She lives in London. And until a couple of years ago, she was basically an ordinary person. That was before she took a psychology class with Scott Plous of Wesleyan University. "My life changed after doing Professor Plous' course," Kellie says. "And now I'm studying to be a psychotherapist and counselor." ... Plous' course was offered online, hosted by the educational platform Coursera. Kellie learned several psychological concepts in the class. One is the norm of reciprocity: if you're nice to someone, or you open up to them, they're likely to do the same with you.
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Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.
The New York Times: COLLEGE students tell me they know how to look someone in the eye and type on their phones at the same time, their split attention undetected. They say it’s a skill they mastered in middle school when they wanted to text in class without getting caught. Now they use it when they want to be both with their friends and, as some put it, “elsewhere.” ... In 2010, a team at the University of Michigan led by the psychologist Sara Konrath put together the findings of 72 studies that were conducted over a 30-year period. They found a 40 percent decline in empathy among college students, with most of the decline taking place after 2000. ... But we are resilient.
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I asked psychologists to analyze Trump supporters. This is what I learned.
The Washington Post: ALL him whatever names you like. A clown. A Know Nothing. A political greenhorn who can barely complete a sentence. A nativist, a racist and -- worse -- a New York liberal with a comb-over. You can call him a blowhard if you want, but -- to the consternation of the conservative elite and to the surprise of just about everybody else inside the Beltway -- Donald Trump won't blow off. ... Still, he is an effective speaker, psychologists say. In fact, decades of research show that charisma has more to do with a person's demeanor than what he or she is saying, says Stanford University's Jeffrey Pfeffer.
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Annoyed by Loud Chewing? The Problem Is You
The Wall Street Journal: Christine Robinson was looking forward to a date night with her husband, Robert. She grilled flatbread veggie pizza, opened a bottle of Cabernet and lighted some candles. Her husband took a sip of wine, swished it around in his mouth, then bit off the triangle tip of a pizza slice with a crunch. “The mix between the crispiness of the crust, the chewiness of the toppings and the slurping of the wine is what did it,” Ms. Robinson says. ...
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Why What You Learned in Preschool Is Crucial at Work
The New York Times: For all the jobs that machines can now do — whether performing surgery, driving cars or serving food — they still lack one distinctly human trait. They have no social skills. ... Mr. Deming’s conclusions are supported by previous research, including that of Mr. Autor. Mr. Autor has written that traditional middle-skill jobs, like clerical or factory work, have been hollowed out by technology. The new middle-skill jobs combine technical and interpersonal expertise, like physical therapy or general contracting.
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The (Pretty Much Totally) Complete Health Case for Urban Nature
CityLab: I’m not a doctor, but I do sit near one in The Atlantic’s New York office. So you can trust me to know that MD-in-residence James Hamblin is on to something when he writes in the magazine’s October issue about the rising appreciation among physicians for the health benefits of parks and green space. Hamblin writes of “a small but growing group of health-care professionals who are essentially medicalizing nature” ... On the flipside of the emotional spectrum, other work has linked proximity to urban parks with higher well-being.
