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Hidden Perk to Telework: Healthier Meals
Telecommuting may be good for your diet. In a new comprehensive review on the science of telecommuting, psychological scientists Tammy Allen, Timothy Golden, and Kristen Shockley describe both the benefits and drawbacks of working from
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What a Mission to Mars Can Teach Us about Teamwork
In The Martian, astronaut Mark Watney is accidentally abandoned on the surface of the planet Mars. Through his own ingenuity he manages to stay alive on the inhospitable planet, but his only chance to make it home depends on the sophisticated collaboration between the crew still on the shuttle and his colleagues back on Earth. As the film elegantly illustrates, some of the biggest challenges for a mission to Mars aren’t technological, they’re psychological. Just imagine being trapped in a confined space with your coworkers 24 hours a day for over a year without seeing your friends or family.
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Economic Growth Can’t Buy Happiness
New psychological findings show why a country’s economic growth doesn’t always translate into greater happiness for its citizens.
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The Mixed Blessing of Workplace Friendships
A group of psychological scientists led by Jessica Methot of Rutgers University took a closer look at the benefits — as well as the potential tradeoffs — of friends at work.
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Some Advice on Advice: Timing Matters
We all need some advice sometimes, from getting help on a new project at work to making decisions about how to save for retirement. The problem is, we’re not always so good about taking other people’s advice. “A large literature shows that people do not take advice particularly well, often overweighting their own opinions or ignoring the advice that they receive,” according to Duke University psychological scientist Christina Rader. In a recent study, Rader and colleagues Jack Soll and Richard Larrick investigated how timing affects people’s willingness to follow outside advice. Are we more likely to follow advice before or after we’ve already had the chance to make our own decision?
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Aha! Close Your Eyes for Inspiration
Aha! Sometimes the solution to a tough problem comes suddenly, in a burst of insight. You may have been painstakingly hashing through the details for a new business plan for days, when suddenly a brilliant, creative solution strikes as you’re taking a shower or staring out the window. New research from an international team of psychological scientists suggests a link between our “Aha! moments” and what we’re looking at. A study led by Carola Salvi of Milano-Bicocca University concluded that inspiration may be more likely to strike when we close or eyes or simply stare into space.
