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Sharing an experience might make it more intense, whether it’s good or bad
The Washington Post: The best way to make a good movie great might be to watch it with someone else. According to new research published in Psychological Science, experiences may feel more intense -- whether they're good or bad -- when someone else is there to share them. In the small study, subjects shared chocolate with someone they thought was another study participant (in fact, it was a researcher who always played the same role). In each case, they were given two pieces of chocolate. One was eaten at the same time that the fake participant also ate a piece, while the other was eaten while the researcher pretended to work on another task.
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How You Make Decisions Says a Lot About How Happy You Are
The Wall Street Journal: I was witness to a tricky marital exchange last week, when my sister and her husband were trying to name their new red Labrador puppy. Rachel had spent hours trolling for ideas on the Internet and polling friends and family. Days later, she had dozens of monikers in the running—Valentino, Fonzie, Holden, Simba, Brandy Junior (named for our beloved childhood spaniel) and Olivia Newton John (don’t ask). Finally, Rachel’s husband, J.J., interrupted: “Let’s just call him Jimmy.” Psychology researchers have studied how people make decisions and concluded there are two basic styles.
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Is E-Reading to Your Toddler Story Time, or Simply Screen Time?
The New York Times: Clifford the Big Red Dog looks fabulous on an iPad. He sounds good, too — tap the screen and hear him pant as a blue truck roars into the frame. “Go, truck, go!” cheers the narrator. But does this count as story time? Or is it just screen time for babies? It is a question that parents, pediatricians and researchers are struggling to answer as children’s books, just like all the other ones, migrate to digital media. For years, child development experts have advised parents to read to their children early and often, citing studies showing its linguistic, verbal and social benefits.
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How Your “Better Half” May Impact Your Success at Work
Wedding vows often cover “for richer or poorer,” but new research finds that your spouse’s personality may actually improve your chances of getting a raise or a promotion at work. Several studies have found a link between workers’ personality traits and their success on the job, but psychological scientists Brittany C. Solomon and Joshua J. Jackson of Washington University wondered whether our spouses’ personality traits might also have an influence on our success at work. “Your husband, wife, or sweetheart probably doesn’t come to work with you every day,” says Solomon in an interview with Fortune Magazine.
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To Intensify an Experience, Bring a Friend
Pacific Standard: It happens all the time: You call a friend and make a date to go out to a movie. Then the two of you sit together in silence as you both keep your eyes on the screen. With interpersonal interaction at that minimal level, what was the point of getting together, anyway? A paper just published in the journal Psychological Science provides an answer. It finds shared experiences are more intense, even when two people aren’t actually communicating. This holds true for both positive and negative experiences, according to a research team led by Yale University psychologist Erica Boothby. So a film’s bad dialogue is actually more painful if your buddy is by your side.
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Teens taught that personality traits change in high school cope with depression better
The Washington Post: THE QUESTION Research has shown that teens who have trouble with peer relationships, who feel excluded socially or who have low self-esteem are more likely than other teens to become depressed. If they were to learn that such situations, and the personality traits that drive them, could change, might this stem the onset of depression? THIS STUDY involved 599 ninth-grade students, just starting high school. About 75 percent reported having experienced some physical, verbal or social aggression. The students were randomly assigned to participate in one of two classroom exercises during the first few weeks of school.
