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When Clothing Style Influences Cognitive Style
It’s common knowledge that clothes have a strong influence over the way other people perceive us; you may be talented and qualified, but sweatpants at a job interview probably won’t communicate your ambition to a potential boss. But clothes don't just shape the way other people see us. New research from a team of psychological scientists from California State University, Northridge and Columbia University finds that the clothes we wear can also influence the way we think. Across five experiments, study authors Michael Slepian, Simon Ferber, Joshua Gold, and Abraham Rutchick found that dressing to impress enhanced people’s ability to engage in abstract thinking.
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Better Get to Work: Procrastination May Harm Heart Health
Stress caused by chronic procrastination may increase people’s vulnerability for developing life-threatening health issues.
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CEOs Perceived as Moral Rally More Support
Some economists argue that a business leader’s primary responsibility is to maximize company profits and that the pursuit of any other goal, including contributing to the broader welfare, is just bad business. Consider a CEO’s plan to provide employees with free, healthy meals. On the one hand, the CEO could justify the policy on the basis of a moral obligation to care for employees’ health. On the other hand, the CEO could use a pragmatic explanation; the availability of meals will motivate employees to work longer hours. To get this plan off the ground the CEO must decide on the best way to justify this decision to stakeholders.
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Workplace Support Helps Parents Make More Time for Their Kids
Between juggling responsibilities at home and the office, working parents often report feeling stressed over conflicting demands on their time. Employees who were part of a new study on reducing work-family conflict reported spending significantly more time with their kids without reducing their number of working hours. An interdisciplinary team of behavioral researchers carried out the study as part of a larger initiative undertaken by The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the Work, Family and Health Study with the goal of improving the health of workers and their families, while also benefiting employers.
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Optimism for Technology May Bias Financial Decisions
Facebook claims more than 1 billion users, and Apple is widely cited as the world’s most valuable company. Constant technological innovation over the past few decades influences almost every aspect of our daily lives. However, new research suggests that you may want to think twice before betting on the next high-tech trend.
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The Ethical Calculus of the Tax Cheat
Researchers propose that people behave immorally only to a certain extent so that they can profit from their misconduct but still feel moral.
