Contents
What have we learned about time and ourselves? What trends emerged, what facts were discovered and confirmed? What words do we use now, what relationships do we enter into? What do we think and feel day by day? Events and facts of our (mental) life – in a monthly review.
About sex without taboo
Queer, BDSM, polyamory… Lectures from the new educational project “Sexprosvet” will help you understand the paradise of modern sexuality1. Psychologists, sexologists, marketers and even programmers offer their views on new phenomena. The discussion is open!
You are an interesting freak!
Contrary to stereotypes, men increasingly prefer women with non-standard and independent thinking. This conclusion was made by psychologists from the University of Queensland (Australia). Rebelliousness is traditionally considered an attractive feature of male behavior, as it is associated with strength and power. But a new study shows that both men and women prefer partners with unusual tastes and attitudes who tend to defy conventional norms.2. This is true both for those who do not seek a serious relationship, and for those who are thinking about starting a family. However, this does not mean that we have become free from stereotypes. Most survey participants believe that women in general are more likely than men to choose rebellious partners, and even those who have different preferences think so.
Read more:
- “A single point of view creates stereotypes”
Timelapse
Frame-by-frame shooting technology that allows you to compress time-consuming processes into short videos (from the English time – time, lapse – flow). This allows you to capture the change in weather conditions and time of day, plant growth, traffic flow. Time-lapse videos are fascinating and a little scary at the same time. Maybe it’s our tendency to animate the world around us, representing it as a single organism? Or maybe for a moment we feel like gods, able to command time?
Videos can be viewed on the website.
The virtues of old age
“The notion that old age is a time of cognitive decline is nothing more than a myth,” says psychologist Olga Karabanova. “With age, we lose the usual opportunities, but we gain new ones. We can no longer quickly remember a lot of information, but we are acquiring expert thinking and the ability to act in conditions of uncertainty.”
From a speech at the Society for All Ages conference, October 9, 2015.
Read more:
- Friendship at work: how to get around the pitfalls?
The dark side of sympathy
Friendship with colleagues can harm the cause: we are more willing to break the rules if it will benefit “ours”3. According to psychologists at the University of Nottingham (Great Britain), our prosocial attitudes (due to the action of the hormone oxytocin) force us to make a choice in favor of a group member close to us, even if in the long run this may harm everyone. However, this can be avoided if the results of each employee do not affect the assessment or reward of others.
Research
- Cheer for others People who feel pain more acutely are more capable of empathy than others. (University of California, USA)
- Magic word Praise in a stressful situation increases productivity. (Harvard Business School, USA)
- In unison When people trust each other, the rhythm of their hearts synchronizes. (Aarhus University, Denmark)
- Appetite will come! The more effort we put into what we do, the more our passion grows. (Academy of Management, Pace University, USA)
- Now your turn Not only mothers should read bedtime stories to children. Fathers use more non-standard moves, and this helps the child develop. (Harvard University, USA)
1 You can sign up for a lecture on the site sexprosvet.me
2 Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, online publication dated May 24, 2015.
3 PNAS, 2015, vol. 112, № 34.