1 . A study published by Whillans and her colleagues found that 48 percent of college freshmen in their second term at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver believed that their friends had made more friends than they had since school began. Thirty-one percent felt the opposite.

“Since social activities, like eating or studying with others, tend to happen in cafes and libraries where they are easily seen, students might overestimate (高估) how much their friends are socializing because they don’t see them eating and studying alone,” says Frances Chen, the study’s senior author and a professor in the UBC psychology department.

A second, smaller study they published at the same time shows that feeling left out made the students pretty unhappy. “This was surprising”, Whillans says, “because many high-achieving people—the ones most likely going to college—believe they’re better equipped than their peers (同龄人) to handle challenges. But when peers appear to be doing better socially, that can contribute to feelings that there’s something wrong with us.”

While this study did not look specially at the influence of social media, other studies have shown that the way people use social tools to present only the good side makes others feel lonely and separated. “Social media always gives us the idea that other people are more social than us,” Whillans says. “We often fail to communicate when we fail, and that might be bad for us and also for our social network.” In the new study, first-year students in the sample of more than 1,000 students reported having 3.63 close friends on average at UBC, but they believed their friends had 4. 15 close friends.

3 . Thank-You Emails After a Job Interview

Your hard work toward getting a job is not over when the interview ends. Following every interview, it’s required that you send a thank-you note to your interviewer. Some tips are as follows.

    1     Keep a formal and professional tone in your thank-you email, even if the interview is a laid-back (安详放松的) one. Keep in mind that the interviewer may forward your email to others to review. Do not refer to the interviewer by his first name unless he introduced himself that way. Avoid greetings like “Hey”.     2    

Express excitement. In the first sentence of your email, thank the interviewer for his time and show your interest in the position. For example, write, “    3     I enjoyed learning more about your company, and I would love to be a part of the team.” Include information that you learned during the interview or through your research about the organization.

Add related information. Thank-you emails are a chance to add information about your skills, experience and qualifications (资历).     4     If the interviewer asked for further information, include it in your thank-you email.

Be modest (谦虚的).     5     Even if the interviewer said that you have a good chance of landing the job, do not make yourself too proud.

8 . It is not so difficult to make friends after you move to a new neighborhood. As long as you are open and friendly, you will be able to make new friends after you move to a new area.     1    

Smile and say hello to any neighbors you see. Smile to your neighbors from day 1.     2     Being warm and friendly with your neighbors is the first step to getting to know people who may turn into friends.

Go for walks around your new neighborhood.     3     Taking a walk in the morning or the evening is an easy way to meet people and learn more about the neighborhood. If you have a dog, you will be walking anyway. Keep an eye out for other neighbors with dogs and take the chance to say hi.

    4     This will help you get to know the neighborhood so you can find more places to meet your neighbors. For example, you can ask them what the best restaurants are, where to find a good cup of coffee or what parks are nearby.

Throw a housewarming party at your new place. Parties are one of the quickest ways to enlarge your social circle. Have a small gathering at your new apartment and invite your neighbors over to get to know them.     5     Another choice is leaving invitations under their doors or into their mailboxes.

9 . Too much eye contact is instinctively felt to be rude, and in a business context, it may also be regarded as a purposeful intention to make “ the other” feel at a disadvantage. So unless you have in mind doing one of those things, it’s better to _______too much eye contact.

Too little,_______, can make you appear uneasy, unprepared, and insincere. In its analysis of patients, _______, for example, one large county hospital found, that 9-out-of-10 letters included mention of poor doctor-patient eye contact, a failure which was generally interpreted as “_______of caring.”

“Just the right” amount of eye contact---the amount that produces a feeling of mutual _______and trustworthiness---will vary with situations, settings, personality types, gender and cultural differences. As a general rule, though, direct eye contact ranging from 30% to 60% of the time during a conversation---more when you are listening, less when you are speaking---should make for a _______ productive atmosphere.

And did you know these other facts about eye contact？

● We reduce eye contact when we are talking about something shameful or _______, when we are sad or depressed，and when we are accessing internal thoughts or emotions.

● We increase eye contact when dealing with people we like, _______ , or who have power over us. In more     _______conversations we naturally look at each other more often and hold that gaze for longer periods of time. In fact, we ________relationships by the amount of eye contact exchanged: the greater the eye contact，the closer the relationship.

● We avoid eye contact in elevators, subways, crowded buses or trains-in elevators we face the door, in the others we stare at our smartphones-because it helps us ________the insecurity of having our personal space invaded.

● The biggest body language myth（错误观念）about liars is that they avoid eye contact. While some liars (most often, children) find it difficult to lie while looking directly at you，many liars actually try to “________” that they are not lying by making too much eye contact and holding it too long.

Eye contact is so powerful a force because it is connected with humans’ earliest ________patterns. Children who could attract and maintain eye contact, and therefore increase attention, had the best chance of being fed and cared for. Today, newborns ________lock eyes with their caregivers, and the power of that infantile eye contact still has its impact on the adult mind. Whether it's shifty-eyed guilt or wide-eyed innocence, we automatically assign enormous ________to the signals we give and get when we look into each other in the eyes.

10 . Neighbors play an important role in our lives. Their lifestyle, friends, and social habits can have a strong influence on our lives.   So it's a good idea to get along well with neighbors and build a better relationship that will last for many years to come.   But how should you get along with your neighbors?

When you hear of a special need you can meet, do it, such as sitting with a sick child while your neighbor goes to work or taking an elderly parent to a doctor's appointment when their car won't start.

If you hear that someone close by is ill, has an accident, or is out of work, give him or her a hot meal or a fresh dessert. Your kindness will add a special feeling during a difficult time.   If your neighbor is cutting down a tree or building a doghouse, offer helping hands to him or her.   There is no better way to build relationships.   Besides, you never know when the favor might be returned.

Exchange holiday cards, gifts or traditions.   Invite your neighbors over for a cup of coffee or lunch.   A backyard barbecue can be a great way to share food and fun.   If they've watched your kids grow up or been concerned about your family events, they may want to share these special events.

Plan a party.   Invite all your neighbors to your party.   Planning and carrying out the activity helps everyone to know and understand each other. Your neighbors are like your family in many ways since you have to live with them, or near them for a long time.   Appreciate their strong points and ignore weak points, and everyone will get along well.