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Friday, 01 January 2021 06:21

The New Year’s resolutions that don’t lead to happiness

And better ones to consider instead. “How to Build a Life” is a biweekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. If you are someone who follows a traditional religion, you most likely have a day such as Yom Kippur, Ashura, or Ash Wednesday, dedicated to atoning for your sins and vowing to make improvements to your life. But if you are not religious, you might still practice a day of devotion and ritualistic vows of self-improvement each year on January 1. New Year’sDay rings in the month of January, dedicated by the ancient Romans to their…

Tuesday, 29 December 2020 04:40

Why you should type less, talk more, according to science

When did you last pick up the phone to a coworker or friend instead of firing off an email or text message? In these days of remote working and social distancing, a simple phone call could make us feel more connected and boost well-being, according to scientists. Researchers in the US conducted tests in which they asked participants to reconnect with an old friend, either via phone or email, and another in which participants were asked personal questions by a stranger - by video, voice or text. Participants found that talking to someone and interacting with them helped them feel…

Tuesday, 29 December 2020 04:38

I was always terrified of wasting time. A cancer diagnosis made me reconsider

Martha M. Crawford The room didn’t spin like they say it does. My life didn’t flash before my eyes. I had no difficulty understanding the verdict: It was incurable. They could offer no prognosis. They had some general ideas about how they might treat me; it was considered “manageable” in its normal form, but in my case, there was no telling what would or wouldn’t work. They told me that if they could find an effective treatment, I should expect to be on it “for life.” The week of the 2016 election, my foot had gone numb — paralyzed, actually.…

Sunday, 27 December 2020 05:11

Why efficiency is dangerous and slowing down makes life better

We worship efficiency. Use less to get more. Same-day delivery. Multitask; text on one device while emailing on a second, and perhaps conversing on a third. Efficiency is seen as good. Inefficiency as wasteful. There’s a sound rationale for thinking this way. Economists teach us that increased efficiency is the major way to improve our standard of living. If your company gives you a pay rise without becoming more efficient, it will also have to raise its prices to make up the shortfall. If all companies do the same, everyone ends up running in place – you’ll need your higher…

Sunday, 27 December 2020 05:10

Want to read people like a pro? All you have to do is ask a simple question

Because what we say about others says just as much about ourselves. Determining what someone you don't know well will really be like once you know them better? That's tough. Take job interviews. Some people ask unusual interview questions. Others use the undercover interview technique. Some might even few ask an extremely aggressive, even off-putting question. Some, like, Thomas Edison, tried to be clever. Edison offered candidates for research assistant positions a bowl of soup to see if they would add salt or pepper to the soup before they tasted it. Those who did were automatically ruled out. Assumptions are…

Saturday, 26 December 2020 05:29

Why do we have Christmas trees? The surprising history behind this holiday tradition

From Estonia to Antarctica, this once-pagan symbol has taken on many strange forms. Christmas trees are a strange tradition, if you think about it: Every December, people in regions around the world head to the nearest forest, chop down a tree, drag it into their homes, adorn it with lights, baubles, and tinsel—then unceremoniously drag it to the curb in January. But evergreen boughs have been essential seasonal decor since ancient times as part of pagan winter solstice celebrations. “Evergreens at midwinter festivals were traditional since the ancient world, signifying the victory of life and light over death and darkness,”…

Friday, 25 December 2020 05:21

How to prepare if you must travel during a pandemic

These strategies can help you get ready for winter travel during the coronavirus pandemic. If you have to travel for business in the coming weeks, there are several factors to keep in mind. Some airlines have cut their routes, employees have been furloughed or let go, and the Boeing 737 Max is back for many major airlines. Many airlines have also dropped their change fees (though some tickets aren't included, such as basic economy tickets). Cleaning standards have increased. And if you are part of a travel loyalty program, your benefits have likely been extended. With the holiday season upon…

Wednesday, 23 December 2020 05:07

The most persuasive people use these 3 timing methods to get what they want, says human behavior expert

Daniel Pink In our quest to become better persuaders, we often focus on what we need to do and how we need to do it. But, after decades of studying the science of persuasion, I’ve discovered something new: We also ought to focus on the when of these decisions. Here are three key timing methods persuasive people use to boost their chances of getting what they want: 1. Know when you should (and shouldn’t) go first. Many persuasive encounters are “serial competitions,” in which people appear before “judges” one after another. (Think: Pitching for new business or a series of…

Sunday, 20 December 2020 05:10

Why American children stopped believing in God

Cameron Hilditch The time has come for religious parents to take their children back from the state. In a report released earlier this year from the American Enterprise Institute, Lyman Stone tracked the history of religious belief, behavior, and association in the United States since the Founding. It’s a magisterial work, and I encourage readers to download the report here and peruse it for themselves. Stone’s research helps us to understand the decline of religious faith in America over the past 60 years. Secularization is, to be sure, a hugely overdetermined development in American history, and just about everyone has…

Sunday, 20 December 2020 05:09

The year when everything changed

Warren harding built a campaign for the presidential election in 1920 around his new word “normalcy”. It was an appeal to Americans’ supposed urge to forget the horrors of the first world war and the Spanish flu and turn back to the certainties of the Golden Age. And yet, instead of embracing Harding’s normalcy, the Roaring Twenties became a ferment of forward-looking, risk-taking social, industrial and artistic novelty. War had something to do with the Jazz Age’s lack of inhibition. So did the flu pandemic, which killed six times as many Americans and left survivors with an appetite to live…

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Saturday, 19 December 2020 05:30

Katsina school abduction: Was it really Boko Haram?

The kidnapping of schoolchildren in Katsina State, Nigeria has drawn to a close with the return of hundreds of abducted boys, but questions remain over the continuing threat posed by militants in the region. The Islamist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for this latest attack which took place in the north-west of the country, an area not usually associated with the group, raising fears that their influence is spreading. There are, however, many disparate groups operating in the region, some of whom have declared allegiance to Boko Haram's leadership. Over the past decade, Boko Haram militants have been most…

Saturday, 19 December 2020 05:21

Can children be persuaded to love a parent they hate?

When one parent in a divorce has worked to prejudice the kids against the other parent, the last-ditch solution for some judges is to send the children to “reunification camp” with the mom or dad they can’t stand. If life were fair, Benjamin and his sister, Olivia, would be spending this sunny July day fishing with their father and riding bikes around the small town in northern Ontario that they consider home. Instead, they are trapped in a townhouse in an ersatz Alpine village with a therapist and the mother they loathe, along with her partner and his two sons.…

Saturday, 19 December 2020 05:19

5 polite things people say when they think you’re stupid

Few things are as irksome in professional discourse as condescension. Condescending people think you’re stupid. The condescending boss, for example, up-manages what you’re doing and assumes he or she can do it better. In his or her mind, you’re just another pair of hands. Even more challenging, however, is the condescending co-worker. While the boss’s views might be a function of narcissism, a colleague’s feelings about you could be more complex. He or she might believe you don’t deserve your job or that they can do it better. There’s a serious danger they might suggest you’re stupid and incompetent in…

Friday, 18 December 2020 05:10

New science proves nice guys don’t, in fact, finish last

At least in the long run, business and political leaders with dark personality traits have poor outcomes. Being nice, we all know is the right thing to do. Is it also the smart thing to do? Playing dirty, cutting corners, and manipulating others are all intended to be shortcuts to success, after all. Do they work? Is the old saying true; do nice guys truly finish last? These are the questions at the heart of a fascinating new Psyche article from psychologists Scott Barry Kaufman and Craig Neumann, which delves into a rich vein of research on these questions. And…

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