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12 Bad Decisions You Make Every Day Without Realizing
Even smart people can make terrible decisions. Generally, it’s not because they spent time deliberating and somehow arrived at the wrong answer. It’s because they didn’t spend any time thinking at all. For example: You might automatically keep your phone on your desk at work, or grab a smoothie as a go-to “healthy” snack. But these aren’t the wisest choices you could make. Below, we’ve listed some of the easiest traps to fall into, at the office and at home.
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Can marriage make you sick?
Is hostility in your marriage stressing or depressing you? Does your partner have a chronic disorder? Then watch out. Although married people generally have better health than others, studies have found, partners in these two situations can face an increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease. Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University, and Stephanie J. Wilson, a postdoctoral researcher in her lab, study — and explain here — the health effects of intimate relationships. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Psychological Weapons of Mass Persuasion
When I was a teenager, my parents often asked me to come along to the store to help carry groceries. One day, as I was waiting patiently at the check-out, my mother reached for her brand new customer loyalty card. Out of curiosity, I asked the cashier what information they record. He replied that it helps them keep track of what we’re buying so that they can make tailored product recommendations. None of us knew about this. I wondered whether mining through millions of customer purchases could reveal hidden consumer preferences and it wasn’t long before the implications dawned on me: are they mailing us targeted ads? This was almost two decades ago.
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Can postpartum depression affect dads, too? Recent research says it might.
Like many fathers, Adam Elmaghraby enjoys spending time outdoors with his daughter. On weekends, he takes the 3-year-old to a farmers market, sharing his love of food with her and teaching her about fruits and vegetables. Elmaghraby especially appreciates this time with his daughter, because his entry into fatherhood was difficult. A few months after her birth, he struggled with bouts of paralyzing anxiety and depression. “Shortly after my daughter was born, I started feeling anxious. My mind would swirl, and I felt out of control. I didn’t have enough time for myself, parenting and my professional life,” he said.
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Residents of Racially Diverse Neighborhoods Are More Likely to Help Others
What do you look for in a community? How about helpful, giving residents—people who are eager to lend a hand? Recently published research suggests you're more likely to find them in racially diverse neighborhoods. A research team led by Krishna Savani and Jared Nai of Singapore Management University reports people who live in such areas are more inclined to voluntarily help others. This reflects the fact they are more likely to identify with all of humanity, and therefore "see the world as a family." And you never turn your back on your family, right?
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How to Reconcile with a Romantic Partner
We’ve all done it: forgotten an anniversary, left a mess in the kitchen, said something unkind about our in-laws, or offended our partners in some other way, even if unintentionally. To get out of the doghouse, romantic partners have employed a myriad of strategies, from flowers or jewelry to love notes, sexual favors, and even tears. If only science could tell us which of these strategies is likely to be most effective, we might reconcile more quickly with our mates and enjoy the many benefits of forgiveness. Fortunately, a new series of studies by T. Joel Wade, Justin Mogilski and Rachel Schoenberg published in Evolutionary Psychological Science set out to do just that.
