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Psychologist Carol Ryff on Wellbeing and Aging: The FPR Interview
PLOS: Dr. Carol D. Ryff, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, speaks with science writer Karen A. Frenkel about well-being in the United States and Japan, and different attitudes towards aging. She also compares Western and Eastern types of intervention to promote well-being. Since 1995, Dr. Ryff and her Wisconsin team have been studying 7,000 individuals and examining factors that influence health and well-being from middle age through old age. The study is called MIDUS (Mid-Life in the U.S. National Study of Americans). Dr. Ryff is also involved in a parallel study in Japan known as MIDJA (Midlife in Japan).
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Understanding the Psychology of the American Idea of Choice
Scientific American: Choice is a fundamental American value that often lies at the center of heated political discussions. For example, disputes about the Affordable Healthcare Act have hinged on whether buying health insurance should be a personal choice. Recent research suggests that thinking about our lives in terms choices may reduce our support for public policies that promote greater equality in society. By emphasizing free will over the situational factors that shape people’s life experiences, thinking about choice may lead us to view inequality as less bothersome. Read the whole story: Scientific American
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Learning on the Job: Myth vs. Science
Harvard Business Review: if a training session has ever felt to you like a skull-numbing high-school class, new research has confirmed your suspicions. The most depressing part? Over the past thirty years the science of training has improved, but many employers haven't incorporated the findings into their training programs; instead they've continued to rely too much on their intuition. So bad practices continue to spread — lectures, workbooks, tests, videos — even though research has shown that the best training is less a cram session than a hands-on-experience. The biggest problem is that the new skills we’ve been taught usually decay by 90 percent over the course of a year.
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New Research on Personality and Emotional Development From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research on personality and emotional development published in Psychological Science. Birth-Cohort Effects in the Association Between Personality and Fertility Markus Jokela The birth rate in many countries has been declining. To determine whether personality traits and societal expectations could be influencing these changes, the researchers collected Big Five personality traits, level of education, fertility history, and parental socioeconomic status from individuals in the Midlife Development in the United States study and the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.
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Fear and Driving Opportunity Motivated Changes in Driving Behavior After 9/11
A catastrophic event – such as a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or market collapse – often strikes twice. There is the damage caused by the event itself, as lives are lost or left in ruin. But there is also the second act, catalyzed by our response to the catastrophic event. This second act has the potential to cause just as much damage as the first. In the year following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there were approximately 1,600 more traffic fatalities in the United States than expected. This figure suggests the possibility that fear may have been a strong motivator for many people, leading them to choose driving over flying.
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Are Independents Just Partisans In Disguise?
NPR: Independent voters have grown in recent years into a mega voting bloc. By some estimates they outnumber registered Republicans, and even registered Democrats. Every election cycle, independents generate enormous amounts of interest as candidates, pollsters and the media probe their feelings. These voters are widely considered to hold the key to most elections. Independents generally report that neither party fully represents their views. Some report being to the left of the Democratic Party or to the right of the GOP, but most report being in the middle and describe themselves as moderates.
