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The Upside of Dyslexia
The New York Times: The word “dyslexia” evokes painful struggles with reading, and indeed this learning disability causes much difficulty for the estimated 15 percent of Americans affected by it. Since the phenomenon of “word blindness” was first documented more than a century ago, scientists have searched for the causes of dyslexia, and for therapies to treat it. In recent years, however, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers.
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Study: Income inequality may boost your ego
The Washington Post: A new study finds that countries with more income inequality tend to have more people who believe that they are better than average — a psychological phenomenon known as “self-enhancement.” The study, published in Psychological Science, hypothesizes that societies with high levels of inequality are more likely to encourage competition over scarce rewards, and outsized perceptions of the self is simply an outgrowth of that environment. Income inequality may foster greater self-enhancement through increased competition.
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Is cursing really such a big deal any more?
The Globe and Mail: Recently, on the sitcom Modern Family, a subplot concerned little Lily letting loose the mother of swear words to the consternation of one of her dads, and the giggles of the other. The child actress playing the kid said “fudge,” which was bleeped, but this didn’t stop something called the No Cussing Club (not known for its rockin’ parties) from requesting that ABC kill the episode. The Parents Television Council joined in lock step, and a spokesperson complained: “The more we see and hear this kind of language on television, the more acceptable and common it will become in the real world.” Who blames television for anything any more?
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Facebook: Is this any place for the not-so-self-assured to make friends?
Los Angeles Times: Facebook, the social networking giant that connects 845 million people to one another, may be a jolly gabfest for the self-assured. But for those who suffer from low self-esteem, it appears to be a rather nasty trap, luring such people into self-disclosures that prompt many a Facebook friend to agree with their low opinion of themselves.
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A Postwar Picture of Resilience
The New York Times: WHEN the United States announced last week that its combat troops in Afghanistan would be withdrawn by mid-2013, there was obvious relief. But it was followed by familiar concerns. One of the biggest of those concerns is the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among the tens of thousands of returning veterans, which according to some media reports runs as high as 35 percent. These reports have incited fears that we will soon face a PTSD epidemic. But are such fears justified? According to mounting scientific evidence, they are not. In fact, the prevalence of PTSD among veterans of recent wars is about 10 percent — substantially lower than is commonly believed.
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Negative Nancy? Your Facebook friends might hate you for it: Study
Toronto Sun: Stop complaining on Facebook. Your "friends" are starting to hate you for it, a study from Ontario's University of Waterloo suggests. "People with low self-esteem seem to behave counterproductively, bombarding their friends with negative tidbits about their lives and making themselves less likeable," according to a new study to be published in the journal Psychological Science. Co-writers Amanda Forest and Joanne Wood took the last 10 status updates of students and had people rate how positive or negative they are. Participants then rated how much they liked the person who wrote them.
