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What’s in a Label?
NPR Science Friday: On this week's show we're talking with Adam Alter, assistant professor of marketing and psychology at NYU's Stern School of Business and author of the new book Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave. In his book, Alter presents a wide breadth of research showing how forces we aren't aware of can shape our thoughts and behaviors. In the chapter called "Labels," Alter describes a set of experiments done by researchers at Stanford University who were trying to determine whether labeling someone as "black" or "white" affected perception of the person. Read the whole story: NPR Science Friday
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You’ve Been Doing a Fantastic Job. Just One Thing …
The New York Times: MOST of us think we know how to give feedback. Positive comments are better — and more useful — than negative ones. And if you do have to point out something wrong, start with a compliment, move on to the problem, then end on a high note. It turns out that it’s not that simple. Those who have studied the issue have found that negative feedback isn’t always bad and positive feedback isn’t always good. Too often, they say, we forget the purpose of feedback — it’s not to make people feel better, it’s to help them do better. ... Research bears that out.
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Stress Can Take a Toll on Your Long-Term Mental Health, New Study Says
Shape: As though you don't have enough to worry about, now you have to worry about how you react to the everyday stresses of life: A recently published study in the journal Psychological Science suggests that how you react to little daily irritations can have a long-term impact on your mental health. Researchers found that your overall level of negative emotions may make you more susceptible to depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders 10 years from now.
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Calling a Bluff: Is It All In the Arms?
Annie Duke was on track for a promising career in psycholinguistics, when she abruptly abandoned the academic life for the high-stakes world of poker. That was two decades ago, and since then she has won a slew of honors, including the prestigious World Series of Poker “bracelet”—plus lots of cash. She is known among other poker players as the Duchess of Poker. In a recent Radiolab interview, Duke talked about how she weighs risk and certainty and doubt in deciding to hold or fold. It’s largely math, but not the straightforward odds of drawing to an inside straight. She computes odds and acceptable losses over long periods of time.
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How Junior High Friendships Affect Adult Relationships
TIME: Middle school is typically a time of chaotic emotions, confusing relationships and challenging growing pains. But it may also have a surprisingly lasting influence on the future. In a study published in Child Development, researchers found that adolescents who were best able to negotiate the relationship minefield of finding friends and making sound behavior choices were most likely to be rated by their parents as successful both socially and professionally when they became young adults.
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Low on Self-Control? Surrounding Yourself With Strong-Willed Friends May Help
Research suggests that people with low self-control prefer and depend on people with high self-control, possibly as a way to make up for the skills they themselves lack.
