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Why Americans and Europeans Give Directions Differently
The Atlantic - Cities: One of the charms of Europe is the irregular geography of its city streets. Meanwhile across the Atlantic many major American cities follow a fairly rigid (albeit intuitive) grid system. The local differences echo the broader approaches to land division there and here. While many boundaries in the Old World conform to the curves of nature, places in the United States generally follow a rectangular system imposed, in large part, by the Public Land Survey. It stands to reason that these different environments would leave distinct impressions on their respective residents. If the place you live in looks like a map, logic suggests you'll start to discuss it like one.
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So leicht lassen wir uns manipulieren (How easily we can manipulate ourselves)
Suddeutsche Zeitung: Warum wechselt Serena Williams ihre Socken nicht, so lange sie ein Turnier spielt? Zumindest erzählte die Wimbledon-Siegerin einmal, dass sie diese Marotte pflege. Die Frage könnte aber auch lauten: Warum zieht der Golfer Tiger Woods bei Turnieren sonntags am liebsten ein rotes Hemd an? Und weshalb trug der Basketball-Superstar Michael Jordan unter seinem Trikot immer seine alten Shorts aus Uni-Zeiten? Ganz einfach: Diese Marotten verleihen den Sportlern Sicherheit. Aus irgendeinem Grund betrachten sie die Kleidungsstücke als Erfolgsgaranten - und tatsächlich beeinflussen Stinkesocken mitunter die Leistung von Spitzensportlern.
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Giving Time Can Give You Time
We all know that our objective amount of time can’t be increased, but a new study suggests that volunteering our limited time—giving it away— may actually increase our sense of unhurried leisure.
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It really IS happy hour, study finds
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: They didn’t exactly raise the bar on alcohol-related fact-finding. University of Pittsburgh researchers recently released a study concluding that moderate amounts of booze, consumed while socializing, increases the likelihood of people feeling pleasant and bonding with others. In short, the analysis concluded that drinking in a group is a more positive experience than drinking alone. If those findings sound familiar, it’s because they almost mirror those of generations of folks who conducted research and found that having cocktails with chums is fun.
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How to Make Optimism Work for You
The New York Times: My recent column on optimism drew hundreds of comments from readers who testified to the value of living life as a glass half full. But one in particular — from a 90-year-old man living in Calabasas, Calif. — was especially telling. The reader, William Richmond, wrote that a phrase in the column, “Fake it until you make it,” summed up his long and very successful life. His approach to life could serve as a battle plan for the millions of recent college graduates now searching for work in an unforgiving job market, as well as for older adults trying to re-enter the workplace after a long hiatus and those who lost jobs and must now reinvent themselves. ...
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Eons after words, why do humans still need body language?
msnbc: Flat screens, phones and laptops soon will blaze with a body-language blitz: sweaty palms clasping mouths in disbelief, muscled arms folded in disagreement and – the sweetest Olympic pose – two fists hoisted aloft in displays of golden bliss. “That position – the arms raised high – evokes triumph and it’s very ancient,” says Margaret J. King, director of the Center for Cultural Studies & Analysis in Philadelphia. ... “We still use body language because that’s the way our brains worked (eons) years ago when we first became human,” King said.
