Published: December 30, 2008
If you live in the northern hemisphere, this is probably not your favourite month. January tends to dispirit people more than any other. We all know why: foul weather, post-Christmas debt, the long wait before your next holiday, quarterly bills, dark evenings and dark mornings. At least, that is the way it seems. For while all these things might contribute to the way you feel, there is one crucial factor you probably have not accounted for: the state of mind of your friends and relatives. Recent research shows that our moods are far more strongly influenced by those around us than we tend to think. Not only that, we are also beholden to the moods of friends of friends, and of friends of friends of friends – people three degrees of separation away from us who we have never met, but whose disposition can pass through our social network like a virus.
Read the full New Scientist article
Source: New Scientist
Published: December 30, 2008
But Abusing Alcohol can Damage Brain, Loyola Researchers say
Moderate drinkers often have lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive loss, according to researchers who reviewed 44 studies.In more than half of the studies, published since the 1990s, moderate drinkers of wine, beer and liquor had lower dementia risks than nondrinkers. In only a few studies were there increased risks. [continue reading…]
Published: December 29, 2008
Mitt Romney wants to stop sleeping in his suit. Martha Stewart will try to save publishing. And Wolfgang Puck wants no minimum wage for waiters. For the New Year, The Wall Street Journal asked some influential people three questions:
What professional project do you plan to complete in 2009?
What personal resolution do you finally hope to keep next year?
And what problem should your industry or professional community tackle more effectively?
Link to continue reading
Do you resolve to do something different this year, both professionally and personally? Let us know how you plan to make a difference in 2009.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Published: December 29, 2008
Researchers at the University of Rochester have shown that the human brain—once thought to be a seriously flawed decision maker—is actually hard-wired to allow us to make the best decisions possible with the information we are given. The findings are published in today’s issue of the journal Neuron.
Neuroscientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky received a 2002 Nobel Prize for their 1979 research that argued humans rarely make rational decisions. Since then, this has become conventional wisdom among cognition researchers. [continue reading…]
