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How Parents Are Turning Toward Gratitude in the Pandemic
“Graduation is canceled, we can’t fly home to visit family in Texas, and no, school won’t be in person this year.” I say this fast to my teenage daughter, bracing myself for her reaction. She shrugs her shoulders, a resignation settling into her arms and legs, as she walks away and her bedroom door slams. I understand her anger and melancholy. We are practicing a different vocabulary in 2020, with words such as social distancing, pandemic, masks and covid-19 — terms that may have sounded dystopian before this year. The jerky roller-coaster ride has meant making cancellations, juggling multiple roles and sacrificing normalcy. ...
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Kids Are Anxious And Scared During The Pandemic. Here’s How Parents Can Help
For the kids in our lives, the last nine months have been many things. Scary — because an invisible, unknown illness was suddenly spreading across the globe. Maybe even fun, when the possibility of school closing felt like a snow day. But for many, that novelty has given way to frustration and sadness — even depression and anxiety. Just like adults, kids are wondering: Will I get sick? Will someone I love die? It's a lot for kids and parents to handle. So we talked to the experts and came away with five tips for how you can help your kids through this. ...
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We Know How to Curb the Pandemic. How Do We Make People Listen?
At this point, we have all the scientific information we need in order to prevent the surgings of the coronavirus: Avoid gathering indoors with people from outside your household, keep physically apart from others, wear a mask, wash your hands often. Among those who can follow these precautions — a lot of people, as policymakers should recognize, can’t afford to — too many are still disregarding public health advice. A recent report by researchers from Northeastern University and elsewhere found that the number of Americans heeding most recommendations has dropped steadily since April.
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Despite Covid-19, Older People Are Still Happier
APS Member/Author: Alison Gopnik As we get older we get slower, creakier and stiffer—and a lot happier. This might seem surprising, but it’s one of the most robust results in psychology, and it’s true regardless of income, class or culture. In our 70s and 80s, we are happier than when we were strong and beautiful 20-year-olds. There are a couple of theories about why this is. We may get better at avoiding stressful situations—we figure out how to dodge that tense work meeting or family squabble. Or there may be something about aging that makes it easier to tolerate stress, even when we can’t avoid it. ...
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Citizens Versus the Internet: Confronting Digital Challenges With Cognitive Tools
Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Volume 21, Number 3)Read the Full Text (PDF, HTML) The Internet is an indispensable and global virtual environment in which people constantly communicate, seek information, and make decisions. The architecture of this digital environment influences people’s interactions with it. Despite many advantages of this architecture, it is also responsible for some negative outcomes, such as the spread of misinformation, rising incivility in online interactions, the facilitation of ideological extremisms, and a decline in decision autonomy.
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AAAS Names 10 Psychological Scientists as 2020 Fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has included eight APS members and two APS Fellows in its election of 489 AAAS members as 2020 Fellows. Election as an AAAS Fellow honors individuals whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science and its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues. The 10 psychological scientists listed here constitute all but three of the individuals in the Section on Psychology. APS Members: Peter R.