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George Washington Trumps Pinocchio When It Comes to Promoting Honesty in Kids
Pacific Standard: Once upon a time, a group of researchers began to wonder whether telling children traditional stories meant to instill a sense of honesty actually worked. So they took three classic tales, shared them with three- to seven-year-olds, and waited for the results. To their surprise, they found only one story—the one about young George Washington chopping down the cherry tree—was effective in getting fibbing kids to fess up. While hearing that tale produced only a modest improvement in honesty, the other two stories had no impact whatsoever. Read the whole story: Pacific Standard
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Blame Your Brain: The Fault Lies Somewhere Within
NPR: Science doesn't just further technology and help us predict and control our environment. It also changes the way we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world. This understanding can inspire awe and a sense of grandeur. But it can also be unsettling, especially when it calls into question our basic assumptions about the kinds of creatures we are and the universe we inhabit. Current developments in neuroscience seem to be triggering precisely this jumble of reactions: wonder alongside disquiet, hope alongside alarm. Read the whole story: NPR
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Job Insecurity: It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid
The economic instability that has swept the globe over the last six years has largely snuffed people’s confidence in their job security. And that wariness does nothing to improve organizations’ financial success. A 2008 study showed that job insecurity erodes commitment and performance, not to mention health. The pessimism in the workforce could therefore create a vicious cycle of lackluster economic growth; as workers worry about getting pink slips, their productivity declines and profits drop. And as profits drop, workers fret even more about their jobs.
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Thanks to Casey Kasem (and psychology), Here’s Why People Love Radio Countdowns
The Washington Post: From “Total Request Live” to a radio station with the “Top 9 at 9″ on any given night, it’s been proven time and again: People love a good pop culture countdown. On paper it seems incredibly simple — and yet it took until Casey Kasem pioneered the concept in 1970 to take off. News of Kasem’s death on Sunday prompted an outpouring of remembrances from fans, many of whom reminisced about listening to “American Top 40.” The Post’s Marc Fisher wrote about how Kasem brought a splintered music culture together every week with his mainstream list of popular songs. The idea gained steam, and ever since countdowns have been a mainstay of pop culture.
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Highlighting Isn’t Helping You Remember Anything, and Four More Surprising Facts About Learning
New York Magazine: In the recent book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, Washington University in St. Louis psychologists Henry L. Roediger and Mark A. McDaniel reveal some surprising things we get wrong about the smartest ways to learn. We invite you to educate yourself about educating yourself. Read the whole story: New York Magazine
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Extroverts Don’t Belong on Mars
The Atlantic: Extroverted friends are good for a lot of things—serving as deft and lively wingmen, spicing up book club, sparking interesting conversations at parties by wearing ostentatious leggings, etc. One thing they may be less suited for: Long voyages to faraway planets. Scientists are starting to think seriously about a manned flight to Mars. NASA isworking on a spacecraft that could eventually make it to the red planet and back. Netherlands-based Mars One plans to send a team of astronauts to Mars in 2024 to establish a permanent human colony. That's right: the Mars One is a one-way trip. These people are going to have to get along. ...
