Tag: APS | Frankie Bow

October 30, 2016

The Right Music Can Make People More Cooperative

Music is a common feature in many workplaces – from surgery suites to the mechanic’s shop. But when businesses play music, it’s typically to influence the mood of customers. Studies have shown that background music, even when we don’t notice it, can have an effect on our buying preferences. However, relatively little research has studied …

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October 22, 2016

You’re Joking: Detecting Sarcasm in Emails Isn’t Easy

“Well, that meeting was a really fantastic use of my time.”You may want to think twice before hitting send on that email with a sarcastic joke – regardless of whether your boss or your work buddies are on the receiving end. New research investigating how we determine the emotional content of text is showing that …

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October 10, 2016

A Good Mood is a Good Motivator

You need to alphabetize those files, transcribe last week’s meeting, and then look up some tax codes, but actually motivating yourself to take care of these tedious tasks can be a real challenge. According to new research from APS Fellow James J. Gross (Stanford University) and colleagues, people are much more likely to take on boring, unpleasant tasks when they’re in a good mood.
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September 13, 2016

Why It’s So Hard to Shake a Bad First Impression

A new study demonstrates that shaking a negative first impression is often diabolically difficult, providing just one more reason to make sure that you show up on time for your next job interview. “Moral and immoral behaviors often come in small doses. A person might donate just a few dollars to charity or cheat on …

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September 11, 2016

Entitled at the Top: Are Leaders More Selfish Than the Rest of Us?

Leaders’ propensity for generosity seems to depend on whether they feel like they’ve earned their high-status position, according to new research conducted by psychological scientists Nicholas Hays (Michigan State University) and Steven Blader (New York University). The findings indicate that a boss or colleague who feels that their high-status position is unearned is likely to …

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March 21, 2016

The Kryptonite of Smart Decisions? Overconfidence

Research shows that people in general are overconfident, but entrepreneurs appear to be particularly prone to cockiness. About half of new companies fail within five years, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the imposing failure rate for new businesses, entrepreneurs are often quite confident that their ventures are going to succeed. One …

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March 15, 2016

How Caffeine Can Keep You Honest

Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world. And anyone who has ever worked in an office probably has a good reason for this socially accepted drug use: Caffeine enhances many cognitive processes, particularly when people are tired. This could explain why around 90% of Americans consume caffeine every day. In addition …

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March 7, 2016

To Spot a Liar, Listen Closely

The car company Volkswagen recently came under fire for purposely designing diesel engines to “cheat” emissions tests. Volkswagen is now facing billions of dollars in fines from countries around the world. Volkswagen’s CEO claims that he was unaware of the scheme, but German prosecutors are now probing the CEO for fraud charges. It’s difficult and …

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February 18, 2016

Want to get promoted, ladies? Save up for platform shoes and voice coaching

Asking for a promotion, negotiating for a raise, or speaking up about concerns may help a male employee get ahead, but a female employee could easily end up labeled as “bossy” or worse for the exact same behavior. Research suggests that many women rightly worry that being “too aggressive” may result in backlash from their …

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June 30, 2015

For Job Interviews, Earlier in the Day May Be Better

During a job interview, many applicants worry that their professional fate rests in the first few moments of the interview. After a few minutes—or even seconds—the interviewer has sized them up and arrived at a decision. But new research suggests that there may be a different factor for job candidates to worry about: timing. Data …

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