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Millions on Pet Halloween Costumes? Why We Spend More and More on Pets
TIME: American consumers are expected to collectively spend $370 million on pet costumes this Halloween. That’s $70 million more than last year, and a whopping 40% increase compared to 2010. And how’s this for perspective: Americans will spend barely three times more on costumes for children than they will for pets. The estimated 15% of Americans who will buy pet costumes aren’t likely to just throw a bandana on their dog and be done with it. Not only are more people purchasing Halloween costumes for their dogs—there’s been a 24% increase since 2010—but they’re spending much, much more per costume, with a rise of 40% in overall spending in two years.
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Is it actually less stressful to be in charge?
The Washington Post: Think your job is more stressful than your employees’? Think again. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and featured on the news service HealthDay Monday found that people in leadership positions suffer from less stress, surprisingly, than those in less powerful positions. The researchers, in what they say is the largest of such studies, asked 148 leaders and 65 non-leaders attending a leadership program at Harvard University about their stress (many of whom worked in government jobs).
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Good Versus Effective Leadership
The New York Times: The Lance Armstrong case is like many other instances involving the evaluation of leaders. The key problem is that we equate leader effectiveness with being a good leader. It isn’t enough for someone in a leadership position (and by virtue of his position as a role model and a “leader” in his sport, Lance Armstrong qualifies) to simply get things done. A successful leader is one who accomplishes goals, but who also has good character. Here’s what distinguishes a “good” leader from merely an effective one: Doing the Right Things vs.
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Pounds of Personality
It's November, which means that Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching—and with it the season of temptation. Beginning with the giblet gravy and ending with the New Year’s Eve champagne toast, the weeks ahead will add a pound of weight to the typical American—a pound that will rarely be lost. That means steadily expanding waistlines as we move from young adulthood into middle age and beyond. But some people won’t follow this trend. Some are conscientious and disciplined and know where to draw the line on indulging, while others seem to lack control of their impulses and desires.
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The Ins and Outs of In-Groups and Out-Groups
We humans organize ourselves in myriad kinds of social groups, from scout troops and sports teams to networks of friends, colleagues, or classmates. But how do these social groups work? How do we decide whom to trust and whom to follow? And how do we deal with people that don’t seem to fit the norms of our social groups? New research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explores these issues by examining various facets of social perception and behavior. The Herding Hormone: Oxytocin Stimulates In-Group Conformity Mirre Stallen, Carsten K. W. De Dreu, Shaul Shalvi, Ale Smidts, and Alan G.
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Solitude in a wired world: More people, even employers are setting aside tech-free time
The Washington Post: When was the last time you were alone, and unwired? Really, truly by yourself. Just you and your thoughts — no cellphone, no tablet, no laptop. Many of us crave that kind of solitude, though in an increasingly wired world, it’s a rare commodity. We check texts and emails, and update our online status, at any hour — when we’re lying in bed or sitting at stop lights or on trains. Sometimes, we even do so when we’re on the toilet. We feel obligated, yes.
