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Rx for Sisyphus: Take two Tylenol…
For the French philosopher and writer Albert Camus, the Greek myth of Sisyphus perfectly captured the human condition. Sisyphus was condemned to a life of meaningless activity—pushing a boulder up a hill again and again and again, without purpose or accomplishment. If the miscreant king had any hope of finding meaning in this existence, it had to come from inside him. This is the existential condition, as philosophers have described it from the 19th century on. Understanding the absurdity of it—and understanding that one is personally responsible for making life meaningful—can be a source of overpowering anxiety and unease—what philosophers have called existential dread.
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Welche Gesten den Egoisten entlarven (The gestures that reveal the egoist)
Die Welt: Sie haben jemanden gerade erst kennen gelernt und trotzdem überkommt Sie bereits nach wenigen Minuten ein mulmiges Gefühl. Ihr Bauchgefühl sagt Ihnen, dass Sie dieser Person besser nicht vertrauen sollten. Doch wieso wirken manche Menschen auf uns eigentlich vertrauensvoll und andere nicht? Könnten Sie mit dem Finger darauf zeigen? Sind es vielleicht die ausweichenden Blicke oder das nervöse Zucken der Hände? Seit Jahren zerbrechen sich Forscher über diese Frage den Kopf, bisher recht erfolglos. "Wissenschaftlern ist es bisher nicht gelungen, die Signale für Vertrauen zu entschlüsseln, weil sie es falsch angegangen sind", sagt der Psychologe David DeSteno.
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Sex, Drugs and Raising Kids
The Huffington Post: "Anything in moderation," the saying goes. But does this wisdom apply to the decisions we make as parents? The temptation exists, particularly when our kids are young, to try to shield them from anything that might be even the slightest bit upsetting, unhealthy, unpredictable or dangerous. As they grow, however, we watch as they develop minds and lives of their own, and we learn that keeping them in bubble wrap is impossible, not to mention inadvisable if we want them to develop their own sense of conscience, independence and an internal compass.
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Why To Exercise Today Twofer: Better Self-Image And Better Social Life
wbur NPR: Personally, my favorite explanation for why a more sound body leads to a more sound mind is pure chemistry, the hormonal effects of exercise on the brain. But here’s a nice new study out in the journal Clinical Psychological Science that found a dual explanation in thousands of Dutch teen girls: Improved self-image and improved social life. From the press release: Karin Monshouwer of the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands and colleagues at Trimbos and VU University Medical Center specifically wanted to examine two existing explanations for the link between exercise and mental health.
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‘Power Punch Broccoli’? New Names Spice Up Veggies
ABC: Forget plain old carrots and boring broccoli. Rebranding these veggies as "X-ray Vision Carrots" or "Power Punch Broccoli" helps more kids eat healthy at school, according to a new study.
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Bias Persists for Women of Science, a Study Finds
The New York Times: Science professors at American universities widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male students with the same accomplishments and skills, a new study by researchers at Yale concluded. As a result, the report found, the professors were less likely to offer the women mentoring or a job. And even if they were willing to offer a job, the salary was lower. The bias was pervasive, the scientists said, and probably reflected subconscious cultural influences rather than overt or deliberate discrimination.
