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Russia at home
The Economist: Despite the scandals, Sochi’s winter Olympics will open on Friday amid pomp and ceremony. Athletes from a record 88 countries (including Zimbabwe, Togo and Morocco for the first time) will compete for 98 medals in 15 different sporting disciplines. Views differ over whether Norway, America or Germany will come out at the top of the medals table—but Russia may still have a trick up its sleeve as the host nation. A new study, just published in Current Directions in Psychological Science by Mark S. Allen from London South Bank University and Marc V. Jones from Staffordshire University, reviews research into the advantages of the home team in athletic competitions.
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How to Get More Early Bloomers
The New York Times: WHEN New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, went to Albany earlier this week to talk about his program for universal preschool, the discussion reportedly focused on funding, not on whether or how preschool would actually help children. President Obama seemed equally confident when he introduced his plan for universal preschool last year, flatly stating, “We know this works.” But the state of research is actually much murkier. And unless policy makers begin to design preschool programs in ways that can be evaluated later, the situation won’t get any clearer. ...
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Microsoft Office Update: The CEO Now Has a Desk
The Wall Street Journal: Two days into the job, it’s unclear how Satya Nadella, the new chief executive of MicrosoftMSFT +0.11%, might transform the sprawling tech company. But one big change is already underway: unlike his predecessor, Steve Ballmer, he’ll have a desk. More than a year ago, Mr. Ballmer ditched his desk, choosing instead to work from an upholstered armchair facing a giant whiteboard. He also had a chaise against the window, for when he wanted to read and think with a tablet in his lap, he said in an interview late last year. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
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Gossiping benefits society, study claims
The Telegraph: Gossip can benefit society by preventing bullying and encouraging co-operation, a new study suggests. In contrast to the conventional belief that gossip and social exclusion are malicious and should be avoided, researchers found sharing “reputational information” could have a positive effect on society. Gossip can help social groups to reform bullies, encourages co-operation and stops “nice people” being exploited, according to the study, published in the journal Psychological Science.
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You really do smell sick
The Boston Globe: Next time someone says that you stink, you might want to take it as friendly medical advice. In an experiment, healthy volunteers were injected with either saline placebo or lipopolysaccharide—a molecule found on the surface of bad bacteria and that prompts a strong immune reaction. After several hours, researchers collected the volunteers’ shirts, cut out the armpit areas, and stored them in plastic squeeze bottles with flip-top caps. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
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How Your Smartphone Can Affect Your Well-Being
Volkswagen turns off some workers’ email 30 minutes after quitting time. BMW is instituting new rules that will guard employees from being contacted after working hours. In fact, an increasing number of companies have created similar rules, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Employers appear to be recognizing, after years of freely contacting workers on their smartphones at any time of the day or night, that employees need to be able to escape from work.
