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For Many Americans, Stress Takes A Toll On Health And Family
NPR: Stress is part of the human condition, unavoidable and even necessary to a degree. But too much stress can be toxic — even disabling. And there's a lot of toxic stress out there. A national poll done by NPR with our partners at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health finds that more than 1 in every 4 Americans say they had a great deal of stress in the previous month. Read the whole story: NPR
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The Psychology of the Sunni-Shia Divide
Politico Magazine: More than a decade after the Iraq war began, it still boggles our minds: Sunni and Shia—both revering the Quran, following Muhammad and praying to Allah—killing one another. It brings to mind the 3,500-plus dead from the clashes between Northern Ireland’s Protestants and Catholics—all, at least nominally, following the same Prince of Peace. One wonders: Why such animosity among those so ethnically and religiously similar? Certainly, Sunni-Shia violence has deep historical-political roots. Ditto the Protestant-Catholic clashes.
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How Music May Make Babies Team Players
The New York Times: Moving with a partner to the musical beat may make people more cooperative — even babies as young as 14 months. Researchers worked with 48 toddlers, each held by an assistant and gently bounced for about two minutes to the rhythm of the Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout.” They faced an experimenter who bounced in the same rhythm or off the beat. Read the whole story: The New York Times
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Stop cheering me up: Some people don’t want to hear it
TODAY: So, your friend is wailing about the miseries of her bush league job, failed romance, clunker of a car, and all-around lousy life. Instead of trying to cheer her up by saying something positive like “things will get better,” you might be better off agreeing that right now her life does indeed stink. Surprisingly, being a Debbie Downer might save you some angst, too, according to new research published in the July issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Read the whole story: TODAY
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401(k) Contributors May Take Fewer Sick Days, Study Suggests
Employees who frequently call in sick can disrupt work flow and hamper productivity. It’s not easy to determine whether new hires will end up being chronic absentees. But a new study reveals one possible harbinger — their lack of participation in the company retirement plan. What’s the connection between absenteeism and retirement saving? Researchers Timothy Gubler and Lamar Pierce of Washington University in St. Louis believe some of the same psychological factors that drive our health behaviors also influence our financial decision-making.
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When ‘I Believe’ Backfires
New York Magazine: It’s the epitome of classic American optimism: The U.S. national team’s World Cup chant, I believe that we will win! Ahead of today’s knockout match against Belgium, ESPNFC.com has a short history of the cheer. The music swells, the “I believe” chant repeats — it’s hard not to watch the two-minute video without getting a little misty-eyed. Yes, I do believe! And maybe it’ll work for the U.S. today — it certainly seems to have so far. But — and here Science of Us offers its sincerest apologies for being a complete and total buzzkill — in everyday life, emerging evidence suggests the “I believe” attitude tends to backfire.
