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Illusion of control: Why the world is full of buttons that don’t work
Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? Or bashed the "close door" button in an elevator, while suspecting that it may, in fact, have no effect whatsoever? You're not alone, and you may be right. The world is full of buttons that don't actually do anything. They're sometimes called "placebo buttons" -- buttons that are mechanically sound and can be pushed, but provide no functionality. Like placebo pills, however, these buttons may still serve a purpose, according to Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist who pioneered a concept known as the "illusion of control." "They do have a psychological effect," she said in a phone interview.
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Bursting people’s political bubbles could make them even more partisan
Politics is polarizing enough, especially when it's easier than ever to find a group of like-minded friends online. The antidote, then, seems obvious: pop the bubble. Step outside the echo chamber. Reach out for other points of view. For example, to combat the rampant spread of hate speech, harassment and conspiracy theories, Twitter started "experimenting with features that would promote alternative viewpoints in Twitter’s timeline to address misinformation and reduce 'echo chambers,' " The Post recently reported. But breaking the bubble, it turns out, might not work. It might even backfire.
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How to Make the Best First Impression, According to Experts
Everyone can make snap judgments, especially when meeting someone new. In less than one-tenth of a second of seeing someone for the first time, our brain processes information about the person’s face—which leads to quick conclusions about a new acquaintance’s qualities, including trustworthiness, competency, friendliness, honesty and morality—according to a 2006 study published in Psychological Science. This tendency dates back to evolutionary times, when we would encounter strangers and, for survival purposes, need to assess whether they would inflict harm or be an ally, says Vivian Zayas, a professor of psychology at Cornell University.
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You Probably Made a Better First Impression Than You Think
After we have conversations with new people, our conversation partners tend to like us and enjoy our company more than we think.
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Harnessing the Power of the Crowd Could Improve Screening Accuracy
Averaging the results from two independent participants improved screening accuracy, whether participants were looking at baggage scans or mammograms.
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How to Play Our Way to a Better Democracy
Before he died, Senator John McCain wrote a loving farewell statement to his fellow citizens of “the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil.” Senator McCain also described our democracy as “325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals.” How can that many individuals bind themselves together to create a great nation? What special skills do we need to develop to compensate for our lack of shared ancestry? When Alexis de Tocqueville toured America in 1831, he concluded that one secret of our success was our ability to solve problems collectively and cooperatively.
