1 . A recent study by a group of researchers found that there is a link between happiness and a term that the researchers coined called “relational diversity.”

Using public data from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the World Health Organization, the researchers were able to analyze data sets and survey responses from people who had shared their daily habits, schedules and interactions. They noticed a clear relationship between relational diversity and overall levels of satisfaction.

Hanne Collins, a Harvard Business School doctoral student who co-authored the study, says that relational diversity is composed of two elements: richness and evenness.

Richness measures relationship categories, or how many kinds of people you interact with in a day. That could be your romantic partner, a family member, a neighbor or a stranger. “The more relationship categories they talk to in a day and the more even their conversations are across those categories, the happier they are. And we find this in a large sample across many countries,” Collins said.

Evenness relates to the distribution of conversations among those different relationship categories. Some people may find themselves interacting with colleagues at work more than, say, their family members. “If you have a few conversations with colleagues, a few with friends, a few with a romantic partner or a couple chats with strangers, thats going to be more even across these categories,” Collins explained.

Ultimately, Collins says, the study gives insight to the idea that humans are social creatures at heart. Having a support system is important, but it goes beyond your inner circle. “Its about this mix. Its about connecting with people who are close to you, who are maybe less close to you, who connect you with other people, who provide different kinds of support,” she said. “Essentially, the idea is that the more diverse your social portfolio (社交档案), the happier you are and the higher your well-being.”

Next time you consider striking up a conversation with a stranger in line at the grocery store or while waiting at the coffee shop, keep in mind that it might be beneficial to your well-being.

2 . How to Be a Successful Team Leader？

Every well-organized team needs to have an outstanding leader with specific skills. Sometimes the leader’s abilities can come to affect the whole team. Although you students are still young, it’s never too early to cultivate leadership skills.

A team consists of both leaders and followers.     1     What is essential to the role of the leader is the ability to unite the whole team. A great leader enables their team to achieve-a common goal through the giving of clear directions and support. Meanwhile, everyone on a team also desires personal success, so a balance can be hard to strike. A leader should have fierce determination.     2    

What’s more, a successful and charming leader ought to be able to handle interpersonal relationships well. They should be honest, fair, objective and impartial (公正的) when it comes to both rewards and punishments.     3     And in so being, the working atmosphere will only come to be improved.

    4     Good communication skills allow people to build good relationships, which is an essential part of being a good leader. If you find it hard to express your ideas clearly to those who you cooperate with, it may be rather difficult for you to be a good leader. Positive thinking will make it easier for leaders to become effective speakers and communicators. Listening and observing carefully is also of great importance, and a good leader knows how to listen effectively when communicating with others.

It’s a well-known fact that, whatever field you wish to work in, leadership skills are necessary for anyone who desires to have a successful career.     5    

4 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.

Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.

The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.

The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.

“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.

5 . You will have an opportunity to meet your new neighbors after you move into the neighborhood. And getting to know your neighbors will help you feel like you're at home and settle into your new space.     1    

Careful observation.     2     Note those who seem to have kids» those who are elderly, those who seem to be always in the garden, or even those who only seem to come out at night. If you can find some common interest, this will make it much easier to approach the person.

    3     A great way to meet your new neighbors is to spend time outdoors, in your garden or by raking a walk around the block. You'll be surprised how easy it is to meet people when they approach you first. Make sure you spend time outside after work hours or on weekends.

What if you have nothing in common? No problem. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just walking up to the from door, and introducing yourself or inviting them to a small get-together. Let them know you just moved in and where you moved from. If that still feels uncomfortable, then ask about garbage pick-up or recycling centers in the neighborhood. Remember that you live on the same street, in the same neighborhood.     4    

Host a get-together. Though it might be the last thing you warn to do while you're still unpacking, hosting a casual get-together is a great way to meet your neighbors all at the same time.     5     Ask people to bring snacks or drinks or chairs or all three. Everyone knows you've just moved in and don't expect much, plus they'll want to help out.

8 . Several studies suggest there are some very good reasons to think about ways to be kind and friendly plan out that type of behavior.     1     Researchers also say kindness played an important part in how humans developed. In other words, they say scientific evidence suggests that we are designed to be kind.

Oliver Curry is the research director at Kindlab, a non-profit organization.     2     Curry claims that “kindness is much older than religion.” “The basic reason why people are kind is that we are social animals.” he explained.

    3     University of London psychologist Anat Bardi studies value systems in people. In one study, researchers gave people a list of values - such as kindness, creativity, ambition, tradition, security, and seeking social justice. When asked to pick the most important, kindness won.

But research shows that our bodies can also reward us for being kind. University of California Riverside psychology professor Sonja has tested this idea in many experiments over the past 20 years. In one experiment, she asked people to perform three acts of kindness for other individuals each week. She asked a different group to do three acts of self-kindness.     4     The people who were kind toothers reported feeling happier and more connected to the world.

    5     Sonja studied a group of people with the disease multiple sclerosis (多发性硬化). She found that they felt better physically when helping others. Her research also showed that people who performed more acts of kindness had less inflammation (发炎) in their bodies.