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A psychologist says a small tweak to the questions you ask your boss can make them think better of you
Business Insider: You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out how to get your boss to like you. Maybe you'll stay at the office all night so you can submit a project early tomorrow, or maybe you'll bone up on the history of their favorite sports team so you have something to casually chat about. Alternatively, you could stay sane and change a single word in your interactions with them. Instead of asking for their opinion on your ideas, ask for their advice.
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Do People Need Small Talk to Be Happy?
The Atlantic: Security guard, truck driver, salesperson—year after year, these jobs appear on lists of the unhappiest careers. Although many factors can make a job dismal—unusual hours, low pay, no chance for advancement—these three gigs stand out for another reason: They’re characterized either by a lack of conversation or by obligatory but meaningless small talk. Psychologists have long said that connecting with others is central to well-being, but just how much conversation we require is under investigation. In one study, researchers eavesdropped on undergraduates for four days, then cataloged each overheard conversation as either “small talk” (“What do you have there? Popcorn?
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People Prefer Hiring “Naturals” Over Hardworking “Strivers”
When deciding which candidate to hire or what company to invest in, do we favor someone who has a history of hard work and perseverance or the hotshot with a natural talent? Findings from three studies conducted by University College London professor Chia-Jung Tsay suggest that when assessing people with equivalent levels of achievement and success, we’re predisposed to judge someone who’s a “natural” as more talented, more hirable, and more likely to succeed than someone who’s a “striver.” “[T]here exists the belief that certain achievements cannot be explained solely by perseverance and hard work—that natural talent plays a role, and some ‘have it’ and others ‘do not,’” Tsay writes.
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Can technology help predict who will attempt suicide?
PBS: Tens of millions of Americans struggle with mental illnesses, and knowing who, among these individuals, is at risk for suicide is one of the biggest challenges psychologists and psychiatrists face. ... But now, researchers are developing technological innovations to go far beyond talk therapy and more accurately diagnose imminent suicide risk. “Traditionally, if someone was suicidal out in the world, we would wait for them to come into our office or into our lab and tell us they’re suicidal and we’d ask them about what their experience was like,” suicide researcher Dr. Matthew Nock said.
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Can Teenage Defiance Be Manipulated for Good?
The New York Times: Since there have been teenagers, there have been adults trying to control them. The Massachusetts Bay Colony passed the Stubborn Child Law in 1646, allowing parents to have their defiant teenage sons put to death. The Bible suggests stoning them to death. But what if adolescent defiance is not a demon to be exorcised, but a power to be harnessed? The brains of adolescents are notoriously more receptive to short-term rewards and peer approval, which can lead to risky behavior. But researchers and educators are noticing that young people are also more sensitive to notions of social justice and autonomy.
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The Right Music Can Bring Teams Together
A team researchers finds evidence that what we’re listening to at work might influence how willing we are to cooperate with coworkers.
