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A psychologist reveals ‘the single biggest predictor of human happiness’
Business Insider: When psychologist Arthur Aron was a graduate student in the 1960s, he was looking around for something to study for his dissertation. But he didn't want just any topic. He wanted to find one "that people thought couldn't be studied scientifically and then prove that it could be," he said. And then he fell in love — and that was all he could think about. It was hard, at first, for researchers to take Aron's study of love and romantic relationships seriously. "Early on," Aron told us, "it was a topic on the margins." But it quickly became clear that it deserved a closer, more scholarly look. Read the whole story: Business Insider
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Stress Affects How Men and Women Provide Support to Partners
Men and women both provide strong support to their partners, but women tend to do a better job of being supportive under stressful situations.
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To Stop Procrastinating, Start by Understanding the Emotions Involved
The Wall Street Journal: Putting off a work or school assignment in order to play videogames or water the plants might seem like nothing more serious than poor time-management. But researchers say chronic procrastination is an emotional strategy for dealing with stress, and it can lead to significant issues in relationships, jobs, finances and health. In August, researchers from Stockholm University published one of the first randomized controlled trials on the treatment of procrastination. It found a therapy delivered online can significantly reduce procrastination.
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10 Years In, Tulsa’s Pre-K Investment Is Paying Off
NPR: Researchers have been tracking Jose Arriaga since he was 4 years old, waiting for the day he would start ninth grade. This fall, Jose is a freshman at Booker T. Washington High School, a selective public school in north Tulsa, Okla. And no one is more proud of him than his mother, Veronica Arriaga. "He's been a straight-A student throughout middle school," Mrs. Arriaga says in Spanish. "That's why he's here." ... "These children did show huge gains in early math and early literacy skills," says Deborah Phillips, a developmental psychologist at Georgetown University who has been overseeing the study.
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Les devoirs de maths de votre enfant vous stressent? Ne l’aidez pas! (Your child’s math homework stresses you out? Don’t help!)
Slate.fr: Les maths vous donnent des sueurs froides? Posez ce stylo, cette calculatrice et éloignez-vous tout de suite de cet enfant. C'est, plus ou moins, la recommandation faite par les chercheurs de l'université de Chicago, à travers une étude publiée dans la revue Psychological Science et relayée par le New York Times. Les enfants dont les parents sont rétifs aux mathématiques deviennent eux-mêmes allergiques à cette matière, mais seulement quand leurs parents les aident à faire leurs devoirs. Read the whole story: Slate.fr
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How understanding the prisoner’s dilemma can help bridge liberal and conservative differences
The Conversation: In my social psychology class, I pose an extra credit question where students choose between having two points or six points added onto their final term paper grade, with the stipulation that if more than 10% of the class chooses six points, no one gets any points. This exercise is a classroom demonstration of the commons dilemma, and similar to the prisoner’s dilemma. Essentially, people are forced to choose between what would maximize their personal outcomes (more points) and what would be best for the group as a whole (fewer points). It’s worth noting that this exercise was developed 25 years ago.
