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Poverty Dampens Genetic Influence on IQ, in the US
An analysis of data gathered from 14 independent studies indicates that the influence of genes on intelligence varies according to people’s social class in the US, but not in Western Europe or Australia. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Research suggests that genes and environment both play a critical role in shaping a person’s intelligence. A longstanding hypothesis in the field of behavioral genetics holds that our potential intelligence, as set by our genes, is more fully expressed in environments that are supportive and nurturing, but is suppressed in conditions of poverty and disadvantages.
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Doing small acts of kindness may lower your stress
CBS: Those "Practice random acts of kindness" bumper stickers may be preaching more wisdom than we realized. While performing small, kind gestures every day helps others, a new study by Yale and UCLA researchers suggests it may also diffuse our own stress, improving our mental health. "The take-home message is that when we are stressed and we help others, we can also end up helping ourselves," study author Emily Ansell, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, told CBS News. Read the whole story: CBS
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The Look of Leadership
How much a leader earns may depend, at least in part, on whether she or he looks the part.
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How To Be Grateful: Become A Better Leader By Expressing Gratitude Effectively
Forbes: Along with the turkey and the pies and the rest, Thanksgiving comes with a big helping of reminders that we practice gratitude every day of the year. And we should. Beyond being polite, gratitude has been shown to improve self-esteem, productivity, determination, optimism, happiness, and resilience, which all happen to be important attributes of successful entrepreneurs. Increasing your capacity for feeling and expressing gratitude can be one of the most important things you do to strengthen your networks and relationships, and build a culture in which employees feel trusted and valued. But like most things, the devil is in the details.
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The Feel-Good School of Philanthropy
The New York Times: THIS year, “Giving Tuesday,” Black Friday’s philanthropic cousin, kicked off our nation’s most generous calendar month. Americans punch up their charitable donations in December, to over an estimated $1 billion a day. Why do we give? Many motives drive kind actions. We might donate to impress our friends or curry favor. To at least some extent, we also give to help make the world a better place. A movement known as effective altruism (E.A.) seeks to make us better do-gooders. Often called “generosity for nerds,” effective altruism uses data science to calculate how people can ensure that each dollar they give has the greatest impact on the lives of those in need.
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Distractibility Trait Predisposes Some to Attentional Lapses
People vary according to different personality traits, such as extraversion or conscientiousness, and new research suggests that they also vary according to a particular cognitive trait: distractibility. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “We all know from personal experience that some people appear to be more prone to lapses of attention than others. At the same time, we know that inattention and distractibility characterize people with a clinical diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” says study author Nilli Lavie of University College London.
