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Is Kindness Physically Attractive?
Scientific American: One of the most robust findings in social psychology is the beauty-is-good stereotype:physically attractive people are perceived and treated more positively than physically unattractive people [1]. But here’s the thing: I have definitely met attractive people who went from hot to not the second they opened their mouths! Vice-versa, some people are so kind and awesome that you can’t help but be attracted to them, regardless of their score on hornotnot.com. Which has me wondering: I know beautiful is often perceived as good, but isn’t good also beautiful?
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Why Don’t Boom-Times Make People Happier?
The Atlantic: We know what effect recessions and booms tend to have on our bank accounts. But what about our feelings and wellbeing? The equation should be simple, right? Recession = sad. Economic boom = happy! But it’s a bit more complicated than that. Recent research says that those who graduate during recessions are happier in the long run—satisfied with being employed unlike boom-time graduates who wonder if they should be doing better. Emily Bianchi, associate professor at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, likens this to research showing that bronze medalists at the Olympics are happier than silver medalists (who wonder why they didn’t win gold).
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ASK THE EXPERTS: HOW DO I DEVELOP A THICKER SKIN AND BECOME MORE RESILIENT?
Fast Company: We've all heard the bad boss horror stories and the tales of toxic work environments, but what about a stressful fast-paced office where the niceties often fall by the wayside? Is developing a thicker skin just the price of our work culture or can we speak up for our feelings? Psychologist Art Markman tackles this common issue below. ... Stress makes you more emotional, which can influence your interpersonal interactions. In addition, stress decreases what is called “working memory,” which is the amount of information you can hold in mind at any moment. Decreasing working memory can give you tunnel vision and make you miss obvious solutions to problems.
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Sharing an experience might make it more intense, whether it’s good or bad
The Washington Post: The best way to make a good movie great might be to watch it with someone else. According to new research published in Psychological Science, experiences may feel more intense -- whether they're good or bad -- when someone else is there to share them. In the small study, subjects shared chocolate with someone they thought was another study participant (in fact, it was a researcher who always played the same role). In each case, they were given two pieces of chocolate. One was eaten at the same time that the fake participant also ate a piece, while the other was eaten while the researcher pretended to work on another task.
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How You Make Decisions Says a Lot About How Happy You Are
The Wall Street Journal: I was witness to a tricky marital exchange last week, when my sister and her husband were trying to name their new red Labrador puppy. Rachel had spent hours trolling for ideas on the Internet and polling friends and family. Days later, she had dozens of monikers in the running—Valentino, Fonzie, Holden, Simba, Brandy Junior (named for our beloved childhood spaniel) and Olivia Newton John (don’t ask). Finally, Rachel’s husband, J.J., interrupted: “Let’s just call him Jimmy.” Psychology researchers have studied how people make decisions and concluded there are two basic styles.
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Is E-Reading to Your Toddler Story Time, or Simply Screen Time?
The New York Times: Clifford the Big Red Dog looks fabulous on an iPad. He sounds good, too — tap the screen and hear him pant as a blue truck roars into the frame. “Go, truck, go!” cheers the narrator. But does this count as story time? Or is it just screen time for babies? It is a question that parents, pediatricians and researchers are struggling to answer as children’s books, just like all the other ones, migrate to digital media. For years, child development experts have advised parents to read to their children early and often, citing studies showing its linguistic, verbal and social benefits.
