The Psychology of Spending
Dr. Thomas Gilovich, psychology professor at Cornell University, has studied the psychology of spending for over 20 years. According to Dr. Gilovich，“We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed, but only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them.” In other words，once the freshness of our newest purchase wears off, we begin looking for something else to buy to make us happy.
Dr. Gilovich found that our satisfaction with possessions fades over time. Yet our happiness over things we've experienced increases. For that reason, he has concluded that we are spending our money on the wrong things. A study out of San Francisco State University agrees. The researeh showed that those people who spent money on experiences instead of possessions were happier. They also thought their money was better invested.
To begin with, activities like a trip, adventure, hobby, etc. tend to bring the participants together and unite them over a shared interest. According to Gilovich, “We consume experiences directly with other people.” As a result, these experiences typically create a positive link and good feelings toward the other person or people.
Besides, your experience shows others who you are and what you are. For example, you might be someone who loves taking cooking classes. More than likely, you'll become known by friends and family as a great cook. They won't know you as someone who owns the latest kitchen equipment.
Lastly, planned experiences are frequently something we look forward to. Then when the moment arrives, if we enjoy the time involved in the activity, we're left with fond memories. These memories will often last a lifetime. Even our worst trips, on many occasions, are later remembered with laughter.
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Online “friends” – a threat to development
The impact of technology on the nature of our friendships has been a much - debated topic since the dramatic rise of social networks. Advances in mobile technology and social networking websites mean we spend more time online than ever before. It is therefore not surprising that so many psychologists, sociologists, and others are eager to give their thoughts on how this is impacting negatively on our society.
There is one element of social networking that is deeply worrying. We find ourselves in a hyper - connected world where people access social media day and night, excited to make announcements about the tiniest details of their lives. Research is starting to show that this culture is negatively affecting not our friendships but our character. Professor Larry D. Rosen says that young people who overuse social networking sites can become ineffective, and display anti -social behavior in their offline lives. But perhaps an even more disturbing effect is that one of our most basic emotions seems to be disappearing --empathy. This is the emotion that allows us to see the world from our friends’ points of view. Without it, we are far less able to connect and form meaningful adult relationships.
Professor Sherry Turkle suggests that people are no longer comfortable being alone. This is something confirmed by a study where 200 university students were asked to go without social media for 24 hours. Many admitted an addiction to their online social network; most complained that they felt cut off from family and friends. And yet being alone is a time when we self-reflect and get in touch with who we really are. It is only when we do this that we can make meaningful friendships with others.
These potential changes in our characters are rather alarming, so it is clear that we can’t neglect those negative impacts of social networks.
According to an official report on youth violence.“In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence.”Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. It is reported that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence.
If the conflict occurs, students can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm.
Once the student feels calmer. Once the student feels calmer. He or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words and accusations only add fuel to the emotional fire while soft words can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After that, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side: and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterwards, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. An argument doesn’t mean trying to figure out the fault of the other person but means understanding what the real issue is. As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller.(280 words)
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A Father’s Influence Makes for Better Grades
Adolescents from low-income families in particular are more likely than their middle-class peers to underachieve and to drop out of school. Studies have shown that a positive attitude towards school work and the support and encouragement from their parents can help at-risk youngsters to overcome the economic barriers and lack of resources they face. Most of the evidence about the effects of parental involvement comes from research on mothers. Little is known, however, about how adolescents experience their fathers’ warmth and the beliefs and behaviors that are most affected by it.
This new study is part of a larger one focusing on low-income families conducted in four middle schools in the southwestern United States. Data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 183 sixth-graders about how optimistic and motivated they were about their schoolwork, and how they experienced their fathers. The questionnaires were completed primarily by respondents of Mexican American, African American and European American descent. Their maths and language arts grades were also obtained.
Their findings show how fathers can support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism, self-efficacy, and, ultimately, higher achievement at school.
These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, while in different ways. Experiencing their father’s warmth first influences daughters’ sense of optimism, and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better math grades. There is a more direct link between their fathers’ involvement and teenage boys’ belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front. This heightened self-confidence increased their success in English language arts classes.
Suizzo suggests that counselors and educators should encourage fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their children, because of the positive influence these emotions have on their well-being.
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People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly surprising that some portion of their self-esteem (自尊心) comes from the approval of others. This instinct is why the approval of peers, and the fear of disapproval, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives.
Despite the most common associations with the term peer, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends do extremely well in academics may be obliged to study harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of influence may even get a friend off drugs, or help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one. Study groups, class projects, and even book clubs are examples of positive peer groups, that encourage people to better themselves.
However, for certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes like an addiction. In order to fit in, they may go so far as to abandon their sense of right and wrong. Groups of children may join in bullying (欺凌) newcomers in school. Teens and young adults may feel obliged to use drugs or alcohol, or join gangs that encourage criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel pressured to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to resist the temptation to buy a house or car that they can’t afford in an effort to keep up with the Joneses.
There is no question that some people are more easily affected by peer pressure than others. Being self-aware is at the root of managing this type of pressure. “Going with the flow,” is not always a bad thing, but as each individual is still responsible for the consequences, it is important to be a thinking participant in the decision.
It is a common sight on campus or in the streets: a young person rides by on an electric scooter, traveling quickly and proudly. But Beijing’s traffic authorities have said that starting on Sept.5, people who are caught riding electric scooters on public roads or bicycle lanes will be fined 10 yuan. They will also be given a warning not to use the vehicles on public roads again.
The announcement was made after traffic police in Shanghai started a campaign to get electric scooters off public roads, with police officers stopping riders because the scooters could cause traffic problems.
The Beijing Consumer Association said it had tested more than 20 electric scooters of different brands recently and found that most had substandard brakes. It added that 16 of the tested scooters could go faster than the maximum 20 km per hour set for electric bikes. According to the traffic police, people who ride electric scooters at certain speeds can easily bump into the vehicles in the vehicle lane and hurt people who walk in the bicycle lanes.
But seeing the benefits that electric scooters have brought to young people, experts are worried that the ban may take effect slowly.
Electric scooters are a great answer to the ‘last mile problem’ of getting from a public transport station to one’s home. They’re light enough to throw over your shoulder. They’re easy to ride just about anywhere and don’t need a lot of physical effort. The scooter can travel 25 km on one charge. It’s convenient and easy to control.
They are also good for environment. Unlike cars and buses, electric scooters produce no carbon dioxide, need no fuel and make almost no noise.
For many young people, they use them to copy cool celebrities they have seen in videos.
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Where Arts Should Get Its Funding?
Few people would contest the value of arts in a civilized society. Great art enriches people’s lives by providing pleasure, stimulation and an escape from the pressure of everyday life. However, it is also true that many of the arts, such as classical music, the ballet, and the visual arts have always attracted a minority audience. The question is whether the arts should be publicly funded, or whether it is the consumers who should pay.
It is my view that the government should subsidize the arts, for a number of reasons. First of all, without subsidies, many artists would undoubtedly be unable to survive financially. Government grants can enable them to work with artistic freedom, while if they worked independently or relied on private subsidies they might be subject to market pressures and the need to make a profit. Secondly, the arts contribute to a nation’s cultural heritage and can create a sense of social identity. They can also play an important role in education, community regeneration and even crime prevention. However, the main argument for public funding of the arts is not social usefulness, but rather because they are important for their own sake.
Of course, there are those who argue that public money would be better spent on meeting the needs of the poorer members of society, rather than catering for the interests of an elite. However, I believe that a healthy society is one in which art and creativity are valued alongside these basic needs. Indeed, a civilized society ought to make the arts accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or income.
In conclusion, the arts should be funded across a broad range of activities, for example, by supporting community or school theatre projects, or bringling sculptures and art installations to public places.
网络时代，人们常常不辨别真假就在社交媒体上疯狂点赞 (give the thumbs-up) 或转发 (forward)，这种行为有实际意义吗？请就此现象谈谈你的看法，并结合生活中的实例加以说明。
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