【推荐1】During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction（干扰）in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout（布局）. But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.

The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels（分贝）, 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group — those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop — significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.

But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise — not too loud and not total silence — may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.

So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.

【推荐2】Two hundred years ago, the clock began to control the world of work. Paid on the basis of how many hours they worked, people rushed to and from work.

The clock’s power may at last be weakening. Flexible working existed well before the pandemic?(疫情). Now remote working has brought a greater degree of freedom. A survey of 4,700 home-workers across six countries conducted by Slack, a corporate-messaging firm, found that flexible working was viewed very positively, improving both people’s worksite balance and productivity. Flexible workers even scored more highly on a sense of belonging to their organization than those on a nine-to-five schedule.

It is hardly surprising that workers prefer flexibility. Working an eight-hour schedule is restricting. Those are also the hours when most shops are open, and when doctors will take appointments. Parents on a conventional routine may be able to take their children to school in the morning but are unlikely to be able to pick them up in the afternoon.

It is also not astonishing that home-workers feel they are more productive. After all, few people can concentrate for eight hours on end. There are points in the day where people feel like staring out of the window or going for a walk; these may be moments when they find inspiration or recharge themselves for the next task. When they do this in an office, they risk the boss’s disapproval; at home, they can work when they are most motivated.

What is striking about Slack’s study is the widespread support for home-working. Overall Just 12% of the workers surveyed wanted to return to a normal office schedule. In America black, Asian and Hispanic employees were even more enthusiastic than their white colleagues. Women with children were generally happy about it, reporting an improvement in their work-life balance.

Of course, the new schedule carries dangers: people may lose all separation between work and home life. To maintain some human contact, companies may adopt a mixed model in which workers go into the office for part of the week. But overall office-workers’ freedom is to be welcomed. The clock was a crud master and many people will be happy to escape its control.

Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence of a person    1     Morally excellent people have a character made up of virtues valued as good. They are honest, respectful, courageous, forgiving and kind, for example. They do the right thing, and don't bend to impulses, urges or desires, but act according to values and principles    2     Some might say good qualities are inborn. Actually, virtues need to be cultivated. With the habit of being virtuous, we can take control of our lives and move them in the direction of greater happiness and fulfillment.

Virtues are universal and recognized by all cultures as basic qualities of well-being. However, practicing virtues is not easy. So often we know that it takes perseverance to reach our goals, and we still never get there    3    We know if we forgive, we'll be less angry. We know it takes courage to accomplish great things. So why then, if we know what to do, are we still stuck?

Because we have not yet consciously applied a virtue to a given situation so as to change its outcome such as in these examples: kindness towards someone who is having a bad day can make him or her smile and build rapport; trust in a relationship creates valuable, meaningful relationships; gratitude in a job loss can shift our focus from feeling low to how we can have a new, more fulfilling career;    4    service to others can change lives, better neighborhoods and create stronger nations.

We know we are becoming more virtuous people, not only because of the results above but also because of the way other people respond to us. Our friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors will trust and rely on us. They will come to us for guidance and help. They will want to be around us because we inspire them to be better people. Practicing virtues allows us to develop our potential, and live a more purposeful, better life    5    

【推荐1】A new study suggests that science role-playing may help tighten the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM)education and careers for women simply by improving their identity as scientists.

Frustrated by the gender gap in STEM, in which some fields employ at least three times more men than women, Cornell graduate student Reut Shachnai wanted to do something about it. Reut said the idea to help foster young girls’ interest in science came to her during a lecture in a class she was taking on Psychology of Imagination.

Reut designed an experiment to test if assuming the role of a successful scientist would improve girls’ persistence in a “sink or float” science game. The game itself was simple yet challenging: a computer screen projected a slide with an object in the center above a pool of water. Kids then had to predict whether the object would sink or float.

She studied 240 four -to -seven -year -olds, because this is around the time kids first develop their sense of identity and capabilities. They were divided into two groups. Children in the “story” group learned about the successes and struggles of a gender -matched scientist before playing the game. Boys heard about Isaac Newton and girls were told about Marie Curie. Children in the “pretend” group were told to assume the identity of the scientist they just learned about.

All kids played at least one round of the game. No matter what group they were in, girls got the answers right just as often as boys -nearly 70% of the time. Boys, however, didn’t really benefit from the stories or make-believe. Besides, girls pretending to be Dr. Marie persisted twice as long at the sink-or-float game, playing just as much as the boys did.

Reut’s teacher Tamar Kushnir said, “Rather than merely hearing about role models, children may benefit from actively performing the type of actions they see role models perform. In other words, taking a few steps in the role model’s shoes, instead of merely observing her walk.”

【推荐2】The yogurt that’s past its sell-by date. The banana in your lunch that turned brown. The leftovers in the fridge that you forgot to eat. For most people, all that food goes right into the garbage can.

Eight to ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (放) are related to food waste, according to a report by the U. N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “When you throw away an egg or a sandwich,” says Yvette Cabrera, food waste vice director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (N. R. D.C.) ,“you’ re also throwing away all the resources that went into producing those things.”

That includes not only all the water, land, and fertilizer (化肥) that went into producing that food, but also the massive amounts of fossil fuels used to power the farms, transport the food, and create the packaging.

【推荐3】Despite being connected online, no matter what state you’re from, each city still retains its own language and slang. At my public high school in Los Angeles, we had our own secret language. A party was a “yart”. A beer was a “brewsky”. If I tried to use these words in front of anyone that didn’t live in Los Angeles, they would have no idea what was going on. When I came to college and used these words around my roommate from the East Coast, she would look at me with a blank stare.

Teenagers are often blamed for pulling apart standard linguistic patterns. The way my parents used to talk isn’t the same way that teenagers talk now. But it reflects the dynamic nature of language, which evolves over time due to various influences, including generational shifts and technological advancements. Teenagers, at an age when they are actively exploring their identity and seeking to differentiate themselves from previous generations, often play a significant role in this evolution.

It’s interesting to note that people around the world all have different terms for everyday things. Last year, I came across a British show called Love Island, which is a reality show that mixes people from different parts of the U. K. in a “villa”(another word Americans don’t typically say) for about eight weeks. As a bystander, the way they talked felt so elegant and fun, but to them, it was just normal.

Whether the way we talk is regional or from online, the soul of communication lies in its power to connect people, foster understanding, and facilitate interactions that shape our personal and social lives. I have often found it’s the way we connect with the people we live around.