2 . Digital technology -email and smart phones especially - have vastly improved workers’ ability to be productive outside of a traditional office. Even so, most white-collar work still happens in an office. One reason is that, according to findings of a new survey of office workers conducted by Wakefield Research for the IT company Citrix, most bosses are doubtful about remote working. Half of the workers say their boss doesn’t accept it and only 35 percent say it’s tolerated.

Skeptical bosses will likely have their doubts reinforced by the same survey, which shows that 43 percent of workers say they’ve watched TV or a movie while “working” remotely, while 35 percent have done housework, and 28 percent have cooked dinner.

It is true, however, that working at home makes people much more efficient(高效的), because it allows workers to take care of annoying housework while still getting their jobs done. It’s much faster, for example, to shop for groceries at a quarter to three than to stand in line during the after-work rush.

The fact that such practices remain officially unaccepted reflects how far we haven’t come as a society from the days when we expected every full-time worker to be supported by a full-time homemaker.

More broadly the Wakefield survey suggests that employers may be missing a low-cost way to give workers something of value. Sixty-four percent of those survey participants who haven’t worked remotely would rather give up some bonus in order to get even one day a week working from home. Under such circumstances, smart firms need to find ways to let their employees have enough flexibility to manage their time efficiently.

Moderator(主持人)

Today marks the last day of the Social Media Detox, Brenton High’s fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over 100 students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging - nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were excited. They were nervous. But could they do it?

With the detox finished, they’ve switched on their devices and they’re back online. I bet you’re as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, have been learnt from the experience?

Anna 17

I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I’m now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies.

Devon 16

I lasted four days. On Monday, our classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend — it felt strange not to already know what he had done. We would have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were doing and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I had forgotten.

Cindy 18

I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then, instead of messaging my friend, I went around to her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours. Without being distracted by messages from other people, it felt so good! Then I decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered – was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to?

George 16

I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn’t find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my father to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone; so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour’s sport each day left me tired out and sent me early to bed. The detox made me healthier!

Max 17

I’m embarrassed to say that I threw in the towel on the first day! I knew there was a party happening that evening, but I without access to social media I couldn’t remember where it was! In the end, I turn on my phone to check, but couldn’t resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What’s worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party.

Moderator(主持人)

The detox raised a total of $1,632.82 for. new school sports equipment! Well done, everyone who took part! After, reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something rather than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better.

6 . The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study of 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic (学业的) performance in mathematics, science, and reading undertaken by the OECD (经济合作与发展组织). A closer look at the reading tests, shows the interesting fact that girls are outperforming boys in reading and that this is associated with girls’ greater enjoyment of reading.

One key area which has a major impact on reading performance, is reading for enjoyment rather than simply for study or school work purposes. Interestingly, the PISA study found that in all countries assessed (apart from South Korea), girls read for enjoyment more than boys. The study found that in all the countries assessed, just over half of boys (52%), but almost three-quarters of girls (73%) said that they read for enjoyment which may come as a surprise to many.

In countries such as Estonia and the Netherlands, the difference between boys and girls was most significant, where they found a 30% gap or more between the genders. Additionally in places such as Austria and Liechtenstein, very low levels of boys expressed interest in reading (40% or less), which are worrying statistics.

However, not all countries had such an obvious trend. In places like Japan, boys and girls read for enjoyment at an almost identical level, with 54% of boys and 58% of girls reporting that they enjoy reading. And there were a few countries and regions that scored very highly in boys reading enjoyment, for example in Albania, Indonesia and Shanghai in China where at least 80% of boys enjoy reading. Although these positive numbers are matched and passed by girls who reported an even higher level of reading enjoyment (90% or higher).

An interesting area which the PISA study looked at was the types of literature that both girls and boys generally enjoy. There were clear differences in the choices boys and girls make when deciding on what to read. Boys were found to enjoy reading magazines, newspapers and comic books more than girls. Girls were found to be twice as likely to enjoy works of fiction than boys.

Countries need to think about ways to inspire interest for boys in reading and ensure that they are exposed to a wide variety of different types of literature from a young age. Given that in OECD countries two in three boys only read newspapers for pleasure proves that there is work to be done.

7 . Twenty years ago, the idea of sharing our lives so openly with the world was unheard of. However, for young people today it is considered completely normal to share pictures of their lives and interact online every day. Fans of social media point out that the world has never been so connected as it has allowed people to make friends, learn about the world and celebrate life.

However, many people have concerns about the effects of this new way of living particularly around the amount and type of information that is shared so openly. Now researchers have found that too much time on social media may indeed have some negative effects. They measured people’s attitudes and feelings before and after browsing(浏览) social media sites. They found that the more time people spent on social media, the more unhappy they became.

There are a number of reasons for this. When browsing social media, people often see photographs and stories showing beautiful holidays, fun parties and fashionable clothes. People rarely post negative stories or bad pictures, so it can be misleading. For those looking at these pictures and comparing them to their own lives, they can end up feeling sad and depressed. They might think their lives are worse in comparison. Even for those people who post positive stories and pictures, they too can feel stressed and worried. The number of “likes” and comments on their posts can make them anxious about their popularity. Of course, there is also the problem of “cyber bullying(网络欺凌)” where people become victims of bullying online when others make negative or cruel comments about them.

The reality is that social media is a part of modern life and it is not going to go away. This research shows us that it is important to find a balance between our online and offline lives. We don’t have to disconnect from the Internet to live a happy life, but we should realise that the pictures we see and stories we read are only part of a bigger picture. If we can do that, we can protect ourselves and enjoy our lives.

9 . No business would welcome being compared to gambling. Yet that is what is happening to makers of video games. For years parents have complained that their children are “addicted” to their video games and smartphones. Today, however, even more doctors are using the term. On January 1 this year, “gaming disorder” — in which games are played uncontrollably, despite causing harm — gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Are games really addictive? Psychologists have different opinions. Those who don’t think so say that this is just another moral panic. Similar warnings have been given about television, rock’n’roll, jazz, comic books, novels and even crossword puzzles, but it turns out that they are not as harmful as expected.

However, supporters argue that game developers have the motivation and the means to design their products to make them extremely attractive. For one thing, the business- model has changed: In the old days, games were bought once and for all. But these days, games are free and money is earned from purchases of in-game goods, which ties playtime directly to revenue (收益). For another, game-makers combine psychological theory and data, which helps them maximize the playtime. Smartphones and modern video game machines use their permanent Internet connections to send gameplay data back to developers. In this way products are constantly adjusted to encourage players’ spending. The biggest spenders are known as “whales”, a term that originated in casinos (赌场).

The gaming industry should realize that, in the real world, it has a problem, and that problem is growing. Now that gaming addiction comes with an official WHO recognition, diagnoses will become more common. Anyway, being put together with gambling in the public mind, fairly or not, will not do the industry any good.

10 . Psychological science is full of interesting topics, many of which tell a coherent (连贯的) picture of human nature, but some of which create seemingly contradictory stories. A case in point is the tricky, and misunderstood, overlap (重叠部分) between strength-based science and the research on narcissism (自恋).

There is now convincing evidence to show that narcissism is on the rise, especially in our youth. Some researchers say that about 25% of young people show symptoms of narcissism. The inflated ego of Generation Me is reflected in reality TV, celebrity worship, and out-of-control consumerism.

We are correct to be concerned about this phenomenon, but our fear that all kids are potential narcissists has caused an unhelpful counter-reaction to approaches that seek to make our children and teens feel good about themselves.

In my own research on strength-based parenting, it is common for people to wrongly think this approach to be the cause of narcissism. Their argument seems to be that a child who knows his strengths will automatically view himself as better than everyone else. It is argued that the self-assurance that comes with identifying and using their positive qualities will make a child selfish and uncaring. Genuine confidence about one’s strengths is categorized as over-confidence; desirable self-knowledge is branded as excessive (过分的) self-admiration.

Why does this occur? It’s partly because more is known about narcissism than strengths. While strengths psychology has largely stayed within the limit of academic journals, research on narcissism has made its way into the mass media and our daily life. A famous magazine noted that narcissism is a favored topic and that people everywhere are diagnosing others with it.

The fear that a strength-based approach will cause narcissism also occurs because of our binary (非此即彼) thinking. We mistakenly believe that one cannot be both confident and humble. We focus on Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian rather than Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Without confidence in their strengths, Gandhi and Mother Teresa couldn’t have achieved so much, and yet modesty and selflessness are their qualities.

When we assume that strength-focus is the same as a self-focus, we fail to make the idea clear that people who know their strengths are, actually, more likely to be pro-social and ready to help others.

It’s easy to conclude that every young person is at risk of becoming a narcissist but I’d like to stand up for the thousands of young kids I have worked with, who are caring, thoughtful and humble — even when they use their strengths.