-
Quanto costa la felicità (How much does happiness cost?)
la Repubblica: Se potessimo avere, 3500 euro al mese... Saremmo certi di trovare la felicità? Ricerche alla mano, parrebbe proprio di sì. L’importante, come consigliava nel ’39 la famosa canzone Mille lire al mese, è non esagerare. Ovvero: non rischiare di guadagnare di più. Gli studiosi sostengono infatti che esiste un “numero magico”, una cifra di reddito sopra la quale è inutile andare, perché la felicità non aumenta.
-
The ‘human touch’ in computer-based learning
The Washington Post: The importance of a good relationship between teacher and student is no surprise. More surprising is that the “human touch” is so powerful it can improve computer-based learning. In a series of ingenious yet simple experiments, Rich Mayer and Scott DaPra showed that students learn better from an onscreen slide show when it is accompanied by an onscreen avatar that uses social cues. Eighty-eight college students watched a four-minute Powerpoint slide show that explained how a solar cell converts sunlight to electricity. It consisted of 11 slides and a voice-over explanation. Read the whole story: The Washington Post
-
How We Enjoy Self-Interest Without Feeling Selfish
LiveScience: Humans are often torn between selfish and social impulses. Sometimes when we make a decision in our own self-interest, we feel guilty for putting ourselves before others. But new research suggests we can clear our conscience if we feel like a selfish outcome has been decided for us. "Often people really want to act in a selfish manner," researcher Jonathan Berman, of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said in a statement. "But they don't do so, because they know they would feel selfish if they did." Read the whole story: LiveScience
-
Why do jokes sometimes fall flat?
The Globe and Mail: Laughter may be the best medicine. But how do you administer it? Scientists have long recognized the wide-ranging health benefits of humour, from reducing stress and improving morale to even decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet pinpointing what actually makes things funny has been elusive thus far. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, marketing and psychology professor Peter McGraw has been mulling over this puzzle since 2008 and at last, he and his fellow researchers have put a finger on an answer: Humour equals tragedy plus time. Read the whole story: The Globe and Mail
-
Shifting the focus from IQ and test scores to traits of perseverance, curiosity, and grit for long term success in kids
NBC: In the guest spot today is contributing writer of the New York Magazine is Paul Tough, he's author of "How Children Succeed". He said character traits and not IQ determine success in life. Hopefully he'll reassure me I'm somewhat of a good mom. Talk about grit. What is it and how do we foster it in our kids? Grit is this idea that a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania named Angela Duckworth invented as a psychological trait. She defines it as passion, perseverance and the pursuit of a passion. It's about having self-discipline but having a real goal and not letting any obstacles stand in the way. That's a challenge for a lot of kids. How do we get our kids to have grit?
-
Boredom has more to do with you than the situation
NBC: It creeps up on you as you sit at your desk. You yawn, scan the web, check Facebook but still the ennui lingers. At some point almost every day we feel bored, at least for a little while. We’ve all experienced that feeling of listlessness, but what is boredom? Is it not having something exciting to do? Is it being unable to pay attention to what you’re doing? One team of Canadian researchers was apparently interested enough in boredom to find out. “Intuitively, it is pretty clear that boredom is a common human experience and little research has been done to bear out that fact,” says John Eastwood, an associate professor of psychology at York University in Toronto.
