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Tidy Desk or Messy Desk? Each Has Its Benefits
Working at a clean and prim desk may promote healthy eating, generosity, and conventionality, according to new research. But, the research also shows that a messy desk may confer its own benefits, promoting creative thinking and stimulating new ideas. The new studies, conducted by psychological scientist Kathleen Vohs and her fellow researchers at the University of Minnesota are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “Prior work has found that a clean setting leads people to do good things: Not engage in crime, not litter, and show more generosity,” Vohs explains.
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Young Versus Old: Who Performs More Consistently?
Tests on memory and perceptual speeds indicate that older adults display more consistent cognitive performance day to day compared with younger adults.
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Violence will rise as climate changes, scientists predict
Los Angeles Times: While social commentators have long suggested that extreme heat can unleash the beast in man, formal study of the so-called heat hypothesis — the theory that high temperatures fuel aggressive and violent behavior — is relatively new. Using examples as disparate as road rage, ancient wars and Major League Baseball, scientists have taken early steps to quantify the potential influence of climate warming on human conflict.
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The Whistle-Blower’s Quandary
The New York Times: IMAGINE you’re thinking about blowing the whistle on your employer. As the impassioned responses to the actions of whistle-blowers like Edward J. Snowden have reminded us, you face a moral quandary: Is reporting misdeeds an act of heroism or betrayal? In a series of studies, we investigated how would-be whistle-blowers make this decision. Our findings, to be published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, not only shed light on the moral psychology of whistle-blowing but also reveal ways to encourage or discourage the practice. Read the whole story: The New York Times
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The New Explosion in Audio Books
The Wall Street Journal: Cory Wilbur, a 25-year-old software engineer in Boston, never used to read much. He barely cracked a book in college and would read one or two a year on vacation, at most. But in the past year, he's finished 10 books, including Dan Brown's "Inferno," Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs and George R.R. Martin's fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." He listens to audio books in snippets throughout the day on his iPhone during his morning workout, on his 20-minute commute to work, and while he's cooking dinner or cleaning up. Before he falls asleep, he switches to an e-book of the same story on his Kindle, and starts reading right where the narrator left off.
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The surprising case for the value menu: it’s probably not as fattening
The Washington Post: If you’re trying to watch calories while keeping your meal under $5 at a fast-food restaurant, sticking to the value menu might not be a bad idea. Fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s are trumpeting pricier, premium offerings to shed their image as purveyors of greasy junk food and convince customers to spend a few extra bucks. ... Of course, cooking at home is the ideal for eating well without spending a lot. But there may be times when you want a greasy fix, or feel too lazy or time-strapped to cook.
