In the radio drama “Nau em Taim” aired in Papua New Guinea, a widowed father takes up dynamite(炸药) fishing—profitable but disastrous for the reef. Then he meets a dashing marine scientist who warns him off. The idea is that by the end of the drama,   both he—and the listeners—will give up dynamite for sustainable fishing.

The show’s producer, the Population Media Center (PMC) in Vermont, has been a pioneer of programmes with the goal of fostering development.     1     In Vietnam Khat Vong Song uses radio drama to teach its listeners about domestic violence. In Kenya Mediae promotes civil rights with a television soap called “Makutano Junction”.

Evidence that radio and television soaps can change behaviour was first spotted in the 1970s.     2     About twenty years later, economists at the Inter-American Development Bank, found that Brazilians receiving Globo, a television network promoting modern family concepts, had fewer children. Another follow-up study discovered that, as cable television spread, the birth rate in certain rural area dropped.

Some argue that the influence was because couch potatoes were less likely to make babies. But research in Ethiopia showed that dramas can have a direct effect. Inquiries about ways to reduce birth rates rose by 157% among married women who listened to the soap operas “Yeken Kignet” and “Dhimbibba”.     3       Male listeners sought tests for HIV/AIDS four times as much as male non-listeners.

“The results are the best when people identify with characters,” says Betty Oala of the PMC. This is why the organisation does extensive research, takes on local writers and uses native languages.

Not only are soaps effective, but they are also cheap. Radio programmes can cost as little as three cents to reach a listener in Africa.     4     Although producers do not hide their purposes many scholars think that there could be a fight over morals and the aimful results of soap dramas. A drop in birth rates may seem like good news to a woman activist, but bad to a religious worker.

【推荐2】Many of us rarely check in with ourselves. We rarely wonder what we really want, what benefits us, what delights us, what hurts us, how we can respect ourselves, what people are actually healthy for us to be around and what the most supportive decision is. Or we may know these things but we don’t act on them.

One reason is that we get caught up in what everyone else is doing and thinking. I have to buy that, too! I need to be on that diet if she’s trying it. They think therapy is a waste of time and money. He suggests that I should lose weight. They completely disagree. Maybe I do, too?

When we get caught up like this, we silence ourselves. Here I don’t mean asking others for feedback(反馈) or advice or helpful insights. I’m referring to times when we ignore ourselves and when we let others’ perspectives set aside our own.

When we get caught up like this, what can help is to refocus. To ask ourselves: OK, but what do I want? What works for me? We can ask ourselves questions to check in with ourselves, our needs, our desires, our intentions, and our hearts. These questions reveal important answers. Asking these questions may lead to a new and deeper understanding or perspective. It puts us back in the driver’s seat.

And as I say many times, asking ourselves all sorts of questions means we are listening to ourselves. We’re admitting that our thoughts and feelings matter. Because they do. And in asking questions, in taking the time to listen to the answers, we are building self-trust. We are caring for ourselves in a powerful way.

【推荐3】There is a lot of losing in sports. Only one team can win at a time, and only one champion escapes the season without tears. But that doesn’t stop Americans from spending nearly $56 billion a year on sporting events. Is fandom(运动迷) worth it?

At first glance, the evidence isn’t encouraging. Following a loss, fans are more likely than usual to eat unhealthy food, be unproductive at work, and –in the case of the Super Bowl-die from heart disease. What about fans of the winning team? Well, they are more likely than other fans to suffer a postgame traffic fatality(死亡) if the score is close.

Rival(竞争的) fans’treatment of one another is hardly more encouraging. A recent study found that fans experienced greater pleasure when watching a rival team fail. Fans in another study reported schadenfreude, a feeling of satisfaction, when reading about the injury of a rival team’s player, and gluckschmerz or unhappiness when later reading about the player’s unexpectedly speedy recovery.

Yet a great deal of research shows that being a fan can also have positive effects. It can prevent depression and build a sense of belonging and self-worth---in case that the object of one’s devotion is a local team. Much of this is due to social bonds among fans, but not all--- sports worship also provides fans with a number of skills at dealing with life’s emotional challenges. A landmark 1976 study found that after a win,fans were more likely than usual to wear clothes connected with the winning teams, and to claim credit for the team’s success by describing the team as “we” instead of “they” in conversation.

Along with schadenfreude and gluckschmerz, being a fan seems more than anything else to be a matter of managing responses to things that cannot control. Sports fans tend to respond to reminders of death with optimism, and to remember victories much more clearly than defeats.

【推荐1】The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying -- first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can boss around your appliances. Children are likely to grow up thinking everything is interactive. After interacting with Amazon's Alexa 2, my 2 year old son started talking to cup mat. But even without chatty gadgets, research suggests that under certain circumstances, people anthropomorphize (人格化) everyday products.

    1    . In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to attribute free will and consciousness to various gadgets. In turn, feeling close relationship with objects can reduce loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they'd been excluded socially, they compensated by exaggerating their number of Facebook friends   --       2    . At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents cursed at their computer -- and the more their computer gave them problems, the more likely they were to report that it had "its own beliefs".

So how do people assign traits to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are associated with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant-looking than narrow-faced ones, and preferred them -- especially in competitive situations like confronting a former bully at a school reunion.     3    . An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with grilles (前保险杠) that were upturned like smiles and headlights like narrowed eyes sold best.

    4    . Most use symbols that were human or human-like: People (the Marlboro Man) were most popular images, accounting for 21 percent of the total, followed by birds (Twitter), domesticated animals (Morris the Cat), wild animals (Tony the Tiger), and various plants (Mr. Peanut).

College graduation eventually means taking much of your attention in your first job search. This process can be challenging, especially for those students who had thought very carefully about their chosen major and their potential career path—or those who majored in a field not directly connected to a specific career he eventually got. If you are in one of these groups, fear not!     1    

Some majors are tied directly to specific career fields. For example, if you wish to become a teacher, you will likely have needed to complete an education program and eventually sit for a licensing exam. The same applies to majors in nursing. If you did not complete an acceptable nursing program, you won’t be able to take the nursing licensing exam.     2    

Other majors, however, are closely related to career paths but don’t necessarily require a degree in the area. For example, students who majored in finance, math, or statistics may also have the necessary skills to be hired as an accountant.

Hopefully, as a college student, you were able to do more than just attend classes and read your course books. Your non-academic experiences can be very influential on your future career as well. Did you work during college, volunteer, or participate in a club or organization?

    3     If you volunteered with a non-profit organization such as a homeless or domestic violence shelter, seek out positions in social services related to case management or victim advocacy. You may qualify for a position regardless of your major.

Although it often seems like your college major alone determines your career fate, this just isn’t the case.     4     If you don’t know what career options to consider based on your major, talk to your faculty or academic advisor. You may be surprised at what opportunities await!