We may need to get rid of a ‘leap second’.
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Flavanols, abundant compounds in cocoa beans, stimulate blood circulation in the brain and, apparently, increase our cognitive performance.
As it grows, nacre is anything but regular. But then a process kicks in, in which the defects attract each other and mutually annihilate each other.
Okay, that’s clever.
For any given behavior, Our motivations can have two radically different natures.: extrinsic and intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the drive that comes from within, without any ostensible external reward. The activity is done because it is inherently enjoyable and not because of an anticipated reward, deadline, or external pressure.
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, depends on external inputs, on rewards that come from outside. The new Year's resolutions They are usually more extrinsic than intrinsic, and that is why we can barely complete 20 % of them, on average.
Passenger VS stable
Extrinsic rewards are temporary. They are very effective in the short term, but tend to dissipate in the long term. However, the disadvantages of extrinsic rewards do not end there: They can also have a negative impact on our intrinsic drive.
This can be seen, for example, in children's art. Most children love to draw. Give a child a stack of blank papers and a coloring game, and everything will be smooth sailing. Some will draw for hours on end, without interruption and without the need for extrinsic motivation.
But How to get a child to stop drawing? Simply telling them that they will be given a reward for each drawing they complete. Because the most effective way to stop this behavior is to give them an extrinsic reward. There is a slight uptick when the reward is first given, but it's all downhill from there. As the rewards start to pile up, your momentum steadily decreases. And in a short time, the child completely loses interest in the activity. And this is something that also happens with adults.
With extrinsic motivation we will find that:
- it is more difficult to concentrate;
- one is tempted to delay the task;
- You want to complete the task with a degree of quality sufficient to obtain the reward, but it does not matter whether it is perfect or achieves excellence;
- You will be much more reluctant to do it if there is no reward.
In contrast, intrinsic motivation is like an inexhaustible source. Drive behavior from within. We engage in the behavior out of a love for its own sake, regardless of its instrumental value. In that sense, behavior is integrated with our identity. We do not depend on rewards: the reward is doing it, simply, because it makes us happy or because it completes us in some way.
Keep this in mind when designing your new resolutions for 2021:
There is currently no 'masterly unified theory' to explain the origin or elements of intrinsic motivation. Most explanations combine elements of the work of Bernard Weiner on 'attribution theory', Bandura's work on 'self-efficacy' and other studies concerning 'locus of control' and 'goal theory'.
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The news
Intrinsic motivation is much more powerful than extrinsic motivation, but also more difficult to achieve
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
Beyond one's own convictions, being vegetarian is a sign of virtue signaling, therefore, as demonstrated Benoit Monin, psychologist at Stanford University, the simple presence of a vegetarian, as a kind of moral beacon, can influence an omnivorous person.
Monin thus demonstrated that people who eat meat can feel morally inferior in the presence of vegetarians, since they anticipate that they will end up making some kind of moral reproach to them.
They don't need to say anything
The most surprising thing is that the simple fear of reproach affects the carnivore: it is not necessary for the vegetarian to make the comment or reproach effective: its simple existence, from the point of view of a person who eats meat, It's already morally irritating..
Therefore, mutatis mutandis, a meat eater also feels special pleasure when a vegetarian is caught violating his moral code and eats a good plate of chops, for example. As abounds in it Richard H. Smith in Schadenfreude:
The discovery of this type of deceptive and hypocritical behavior is a gratifying event. We are not as inferior as they tried to make us believe; now we can assume the opposite stance of moral superiority. Naturally, this turnaround in the situation makes us feel good.
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The news
The simple presence of a vegetarian can inhibit an omnivore
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
The difficulties that COVID-19 has caused in our lives have led many to seek psychological counseling, which has put mental health services to the test.
But classical philosophy can also help us. Specifically, the stoicism defended by the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
Epicurus and negative visualization
Epicurus, influenced by Democritus, Aristotle and the Cynics, turned against Platonism and established his own school, known as "The Garden", in Athens, where he allowed women, prostitutes and slaves to enter the school.
Using rationality to understand human nature, the Stoics devised numerous brain tricks that can be used to cope with stress, misfortune, and pain. The Stoics recognized that a peaceful life is a happy life and that it can be obtained for everyone through the cultivation of reason, virtue, and self-control.
A useful tool in the Stoics' toolkit is the negative visualization, which involves imagining worse things that could happen. If you feel lonely, imagine what life would be like without virtual communication. Imagine if COVID-19 disrupted infrastructure so that goods and services could no longer be delivered.
If you're tired of working from home, be thankful that you still have a job and that this arrangement is temporary.
Instead of complaining that you can't go to a concert, bar, or sporting event, be grateful that you don't have to go to the hospital. If you are bothered that COVID-19 exists, take solace in the fact that talented scientists have developed vaccines.
No matter what happens to you, there is almost always something worse that could have happened. Visualizing more negative scenarios allows you to better appreciate the good fortune you have..
Furthermore, the Stoics would advocate that we 'grant' our circumstances. This is a useful trick that involves stepping outside of yourself to examine your lot in life more objectively. When you feel like you are the victim of a disturbing situation, pause and take a deep breath. Then talk to yourself as if you were talking to a friend who was the victim. When we talk to a friend about a complaint, we usually remind them to calm down and help them see that things are not so bad. Sometimes we help them see the positive side. We should advise ourselves as we would advise a friend..
Importantly, the Stoics realized that we need very little in life to be happy. In fact, coveting money or fame is a mistake. There is always more money and fame to chase, and our insatiable nature will prevent us from enjoying what we already have. A surer path to happiness and well-being is to obtain virtue by living a life of value.
Several studies have shown that there is also a strong correlation between the happiness, health and longevity of people who help others. With the rise of COVID-19, there are many ways to make a positive impact, from donating to food banks and charities to volunteering as a crisis counselor. Especially if we remember that poverty is, at a systemic level, worse than viruses like coronavirus:
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The news
How to use stoicism to face the uncertainty of the pandemic
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.