-
Spoiling The Ending Makes For A Better Story
Scientific American: Old Yeller dies, Darth Vader is Luke's dad, Little Red Riding Hood lives. Did I spoil it? Yes I did. But maybe I did you a favor. Spoilers enhance the enjoyment of a story, according to findings to be published in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers presented three versions of classic stories to 30 subjects. Each story had an ironic twist, or a solved-mystery, or a dramatic end. One version was the original—no spoiler–another had the spoiler woven into the story and the third gave the spoiler right off the bat. Turned out the subjects significantly preferred a spoiled version of the ironic twist stories best. The literary stories were the least preferred.
-
Nice Guys Can Finish First
Men's Health: Psychologists have discovered that men tend to be more generous with their money when we’re in the presence of attractive women. But flaunting your wealth isn’t the only way to impress the girl of your dreams, or that cute hottie from Sales. Here are four other ways to get her attention and portray yourself as a genuinely considerate guy. First impressions are vital. A recent study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior found altruistic traits can be perceived after as little as 20 seconds. But don’t open the conversation with a bullet-point list of your philanthropic history.
-
Why some stay-at-home mothers choose to opt out of the workplace
Journal and Courier - Lafayette: Valerie Wininger recently left her full-time job as a Web master in the entomology department at Purdue University to become a stay-at-home mom. Now, she is caring for her three children, Brianna, 8, Eli, 5, and 11-month-old Fiona. "Financially, it was almost not even worth it for me to work with day care costs and everything," the 30-year-old said. "I got so few hours in the day with them, and it was always so stressful and chaotic." Wininger felt like her decision to leave work and stay at home full-time was her choice, she said. "I'm very happy," she said. "There are days that are hard, but mostly I just love it.
-
Saber el final no arruina la historia
BBC Mundo: Saber el final de un libro, o de una narración (spoilers, en inglés), no sólo no arruina el placer de la historia, sino que puede contribuir a intensificarlo, afirma un estudio llevado a cabo en la Universidad de California San Diego, Estados Unidos. No hay lector de novela policial que no tema que el lugar común de "el asesino es el mayordomo" le venga a echar a perder las horas consagradas a Mickey Spillaine o Agatha Christie. Read more: BBC Mundo
-
Money can’t buy generosity, study finds
Calgary Herald: Turns out the rich really are different. But not necessarily in the ways we assume. Though economically privileged, people from upper-class backgrounds consistently display deficits in empathy, social engagement, generosity and sensitivity as compared to those from the lower classes. The differences in behaviour are so marked, in fact, that naive observers are able to detect a person's socioeconomic background based on 60 seconds of interaction. The findings, published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, have researchers concluding that wealth comes at considerable personal cost - and that being poor isn't without its wages.
-
Frauen sind anders mutig als Männer
Berliner Morgenpost: Frauen sind nicht grundsätzlich weniger risikofreudig als Männer, wie eine Studie der Columbia Business School in New York zeigt. So seien sie zum Beispiel eher bereit als Männer, auch noch mit Mitte 30 eine neue berufliche Karriere zu starten. Auch sprächen sie eher als Männer bei geschäftlichen Treffen unangenehme Themen an, erklären die Forscher um die Sozialwissenschaftler Elke Weber und Bernd Figner im Fachblatt "Current Directions in Psychological Science". Männer sind demgegenüber risikobereiter, was Finanzfragen betrifft. Lesen Sie mehr/Read the whole story: Berliner Morgenpost
