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Improving Willpower: How to Keep Self-Control from Flagging
TIME: Why does willpower often seem to fail us, just when we need it most? Some researchers argue that willpower is a limited resource that wears out, like a muscle exhausted by overuse. Other experts say that our will may falter only if we think it’s fallible: if we believe we have unlimited self-control, we do. The answer matters, of course, because the distinctly human capacity to temper one’s impulses is essential to virtually all aspects of success. Research has offered evidence in favor of both theories.
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Must Great Leaders Be Gregarious?
The New York Times: DISTANT. Aloof. Concealed inside “a layer of self-protective ice,” as Jonathan Alter put it. President Obama has been roundly criticized for his introverted personality. The latest salvo comes from John Heilemann, a leading chronicler of the Obama presidency, in an interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books. “I know he doesn’t like people,” Mr. Heilemann said of the president, contrasting him with the effervescent Bill Clinton. “He’s not an extrovert; he’s an introvert.” Mr. Heilemann may be right that Mr. Obama is an introvert, but his apparent sense of what the word means is wrong.
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Unexplained pain in woman’s mouth caused her to lose weight, disrupt her life
The Washington Post: The 80th birthday party for Josephine van Es marked two milestones, only one of which was apparent at the time. Held in November 2004 at her daughter’s house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., the event was a celebration of her longevity, good health and loving family. It also marked one of the last times van Es can remember feeling well and not beset by the pain that developed soon afterward and has left the inside of her mouth feeling perpetually scalded and with a constant metallic taste. “It’s awful,” said van Es, 87, who says the burning is worse than the taste, which she likens to “sucking on a penny.” Read the whole story: The Washington Post
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Should bullies be labeled early?
The Globe and Mail: If you could spot a bully at 10 paces, would you? Parents of children who have been victimized would adamantly say yes. They eagerly jump on new research that suggests the kids most likely to offend could be identified. On the flip side, experts warn that such tools could lead to profiling kids who are already troubled and lead to inflaming the problem. A new study has highlighted the debate. Led by Douglas Gentile, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, the study has raised the tantalizing possibility of prevention. Read the whole story: The Globe and Mail
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Why do we pay more than we should at auctions?
BBC: The allure and tension of an auction are familiar to most of us – let’s face it, we all like the idea of picking up a bargain. And on-line auction sites like eBay cater for this, allowing us to share in the over-excitement of auction bidding in the privacy of our homes. Yet somehow, despite our better judgement, we end up paying more than we know we should have done on that piece of furniture, equipment or clothing. What's going on? One estimate states that about half of eBay auctions result in higher sale prices than the "buy it now" price. This is a paradox.
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Extremist politics: Debating the nuts & bolts
Starting next week and through October, President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney will face off in a series of four televised debates, designed to clarify the candidates’ positions on the most pressing public policy issues confronting the nation today. In place of the ideals and elegant rhetoric of the campaign trail, the leaders of the two major parties will have an opportunity to describe the nitty-gritty of governing—how they will deal with complex matters like affordable health care, foreign policy in the Middle East, job creation, equitable taxation, and more. But the unfortunate reality is that Americans won’t get much in the way of detail and explanation.
