【推荐1】From the day we’re born, curiosity becomes a primary driving force that motivates us to explore unknown ideas and territories in search of answers and stimulations. Human beings have an inborn desire to close the “curiosity gap” every day.

A recent study found that curiosity can be a highly effective way to lead people to make smarter and healthier lifestyle choices. Evan Polman, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “Our research shows that fueling people’s curiosity can influence their choices by turning them away from inviting desires, like unhealthy foods or taking the elevator, and toward less inviting but healthier options, such as buying more fresh produce or taking the stairs.”

To prove the positive potential of the curiosity gap, Polman and his team conducted a series of experiments designed to test how curiosity affected the choices people made positively. In each study, arousing curiosity resulted in noticeable behavior change. For example, in one of the experiments, Polman increased the number of participants who chose to watch a video of academic nature by promising that they would reveal the secret behind a magic trick at the end of the video.

The results of the field studies on curiosity were particularly convincing to Polman. In one field study, the researchers created a 10 percent increase in the use of stairs in a university building by posting trivial (琐事) questions near the elevators and posting the answers in the stairwell. In another, they increased the purchase of fresh produce by placing a joke on the posters describing the fruit or vegetable.

Polman was surprised by the degree that taking advantage of the curiosity gap could motivate people to automatically make healthier lifestyle choices. He concluded, “Our results suggest that using interventions based on curiosity gaps has the potential to increase participation in desired behaviors for which people often lack motivation. It also provides new evidence that curiosity-based interventions come at an incredibly small cost and could help push people toward a variety of positive actions. ”

【推荐2】On her first day of school, a six-year-old girl stands outside, fearfully clinging to her mother’s leg.     1     As the girl learns she will be separated from her parents to enter a new building filled with new people, she begins to cry. During the first couple of weeks in her new classroom, the girl does not volunteer to speak when her teacher asks the class questions. At break, she stands by a wall, watching the other children running around the playground.     2     She can be heard laughing and chatting, louder and braver than at school. As the school environment becomes more familiar, her behaviours there will more closely resemble her behaviours at home. This first-grader is shy.

    3     Although definitions vary, shyness is most often characterised by cautiousness or fear in new social situations. In many places, especially in North America, sociability and liveliness are positively valued, and children are encouraged to speak up in different contexts, connect with their peers and trust their teachers.

It’s been estimated however, that as many as 10 to 15 percent of children consistently exhibit shyness, and we know that the tendency to display fear and avoidance in the presence of unfamiliarity is found across species, across cultures and across generations. The ubiquity (无处不在) of shyness suggests that it likely possesses some adaptive functions.     4    

Shy children might be more likely to detect social threats in their environment compared with non-shy children.     5     For example, a shy child might more readily notice an unkind peer or bully. She might not immediately offer personal information about herself and engage in careful decision-making about whether to become friends with the person. These factors might help shield shy children from social conflict and negative social evaluations.

【推荐3】Social media use has been linked to mental health problems in the teenagers. But a new study from England argues that the issue may be more complex than experts think.

The new research interviewed 10, 000 teenagers, who reported the frequency they used social media. More than three times daily was considered “very frequent.” But the researchers, for the first time, went a step further to investigate what kind of websites the teenagers frequented. They found that, in both sexes, very frequent visits to social media with negative (负面的) contents was associated with greater mental depression and anxiety.

“Our results suggest social media itself doesn't cause harm, but that frequent use may disrupt (中断) activities that positively influence mental health such as sleeping and exercising, while increasing exposure of young people to harmful contents," said study co author Russell Viner of the UCL Institute of Child Health,

It's an important discovery. J ust last month, research from Canada showed that higher level of social media use was linked with increased mental depression in adolescents.

With this study, the problem is put in a better context. It's not necessarily social media that's causing these issues. It's more likely the contents that young people are exposed to and its hindrance (阻碍) of healthy sleep and exercise.

Bob Patton, a professor of the University of Surrey, said this means that remedies focusing only on reducing social media use to improve mental health might not help. “Finding ways to improve the online contents and promote better sleep and exercise is needed to reduce physical and psychological harms," said he.

“If healthy lifestyles can be kept, the positive effects of social media use, such as encouraging social interactions, can be more supported," said Ann DeSmet, a professor at Ghent University in Belgium.

【推荐1】How To Teach Your Children Proper Manners

Do you think that proper manners are going the way of the dinosaur?    1    It’s not! Follow the steps below and you will have polite little citizens soon!

    2    As soon as your children are able to talk, they can be taught proper manners. “Please” and “thank you” are the beginning steps, and the basics, and your child can learn them starting on day one. When your son hands you a toy, say, “thank you.” If you are asking your daughter to stop screeching, say “please”. You will soon find them repeating your example.

Model good manners. If you yawn or cough or sneeze without covering your mouth, how can you expect your child to do it? If you don’t say, “Excuse me” when you are interrupting a conversation, they will never learn to.    3    

Teach phone manners.    4    “Hello, this is Suzie Q speaking.” When you are otherwise unwilling, teach them to say, “Mom is unavailable right now. May I take a message?” When you are available, teach them to say, “Yes, she is right here. Would you hold a moment please?” You will be so pleased when your friend or business associate calls and compliments you on the way your children answer the phone.

Teach eye contact. When your child is speaking to an adult, teach him to look the adult in the eye and speak clearly.    5    When an adult asks a question, the child should give a polite answer. Ignoring an adult, or anyone who speaks to a you, is rude and grounds for punishment.

These are just a few small ways to start your child down the path to good manners. Before you know it, they will be polite little ladies and gentlemen, and will have you to thank for a great start!