The Grant Study is a longitudinal study of Harvard graduates from the 1940s that tracked many of them their entire lives. Its purpose was to learn about the lives of these men, but it ended up revealing many complexities in the human condition - what makes us happy and how do we survive through suffering. It's a long article, but very interesting. A person's life and perspective can be completely different (and often is completely different) at age 20, 40, 50, even to the 80s.
Link.
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Science!
The European Union is trying to stir more interest in the sciences, and so produced this video to help explain elemental principles.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rumors
This is an interesting article on recent scientific studies about rumors, where people won't shut the heck up about stuff that's not their business. The best way to fight a rumor? Don't ignore, don't deny, rather correct.
Rumors, it turns out, are driven by real curiosity and the desire to know more information. Even negative rumors aren't just scurrilous or prurient - they often serve as glue for people's social networks. And although it seems counterintuitive, these facts about rumor suggest that, often, the best way to help stem a rumor is to spread it. The idea of "not dignifying a rumor with a response" reflects a deep misunderstanding of what rumors are, how they are fueled, and what purposes they serve in society.
Link.
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