August 5th, 2010
Came across a really nice artcile that presents some astonishing statistics. For example, when presented with the statement “human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals,” in the USA just 45 percent of respondents indicated “true.” Compare this figure with the affirmative percentages in Japan (78), Europe (70), China (69) and South Korea (64).
Aside from Buddhism, I’m not aware of any relegion that allows the challenging of it’s assumptions. Religous leaders present universal truths without room for criticism. And they continue to directly and indirectly influence violance and discrimination without ever being held accountable for it.
A line from the article: “Keeping religion immune from criticism is both unwarranted and dangerous. Unless we are willing to expose religious irrationality whenever it arises, we will encourage irrational public policy and promote ignorance over education for our children.”
What are your views on religon?
Tags: faith, fresh news, religion
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May 16th, 2010
I’m very excited awaiting the start of an online Positive Psychology course at the University of Pennsylvania. The 3-month course is rooted in the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, world-renowned founder of Positive Psychology and Professor of Psychology. The goal of the course is to enhance work and home life of the participants by focusing on positive emotions, strengths-based character, and positive communication.
And as always in life I think, when one focuses on something or awaits something, they tend to notice so much more of that same thing. Through a freind I came across a number of short documentaries of Alain de Botton, a happiness philosopher. You can watch these Guide to Happiness documenataries here.
Why Positive Psychology? Well, personally I think in the long term, it could be the solution to pretty much all the misery currently present in the world.. Just imagine incorporating Positive Psychology in education, or teaching kids and young adults how to be happy…!?
Take a look at this article, mentioning how the Dalai Lama invited a Positive Psychology scientist for a discussion. These are some of the quotes from the article:
“We’re really intrigued with his research that shows students can learn how to relax so they can focus more on learning.”
“Davidson’s center plans to begin training local fifth-grade teachers next fall to cultivate skills like patience and relaxation among their students.”
Tags: Allain de Botton, dalai lama, happiness, martin seligman, positive psychology
Posted in Inspirational | 2 Comments »
May 10th, 2010
I remember being blown away by the book Influence by Robert Cialdini
. One of the aspects discussed in it was how authority in any form or shape (ranging from just wearing a suit to an officially appointed position) can have an impact when it comes to influencing and convincing people. What the book didn’t explain was why that effect was present.
I ran into this article that perhaps does do just that. It seems that people who are consistently (a term also extensively discussed in the book Influence) involved and devoted to a cause or a group, tend to unconsciously deactivate certain parts of their brain when listening to a figure from that movement or group. And it is exactly these parts of the brain that are mainly responsible for the vigilance and skepticism when judging the truth and importance of what people say.
So, I suppose we should be careful judging figures we are devoted to, and taking decisions on account of what they say… Or…?
Tags: authority figure, blind trust, influence
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April 21st, 2010
I came across this article from Harvard University that suggests moral actions may increase our capacity for willpower and physical endurance.
Basically the article suggests that we can enhance our self-control and become less sensitive to discomfort, simply by performing good deeds, i.e. by helping others.. They call this effect moral transformation, and have done interesting experiments. Check it out here.
Nice line from the article: “Gandhi or Mother Teresa may not have been born with extraordinary self-control, but perhaps came to possess it through trying to help others.”
And a really interesting one: “perhaps the best way to resist the donuts at work is to donate your change in the morning to a worthy cause.”
So, if you want more willpower and physical endurance, why not try this – help others!
Tags: Inspirational, moral transformation, self control
Posted in Inspirational | No Comments »
April 21st, 2010
From running a business to society in general, motivating others to do something can be done in two ways, through incentives or through punishment. Which is better?
At the moment, the discussion about the evolution of (human) cooperation is on a rather theoretical level. The main aim is to understand under which circumstances individuals tend to cooperate with each other and to which extent they behave selfishly.
Using a game theoretic model, a new study showed that rewards are very effective in increasing cooperation but, ironically, increased cooperation makes rewards expensive. At some point punishment becomes more efficient.
I loved reading this article as it reminded me of the conclusions I drew in investigating the role of trust in strategic alliances through game theory. What role can incentives and punishement play in trust and reciprocity. The dynamics are quite interesting. You can check out my thesis here…
Tags: game theory, incentives or punishment, trust and cooperation
Posted in Politics & Economics | No Comments »
April 7th, 2010
I’ve been so busy that I never found the time to make a good comparison on Obama’s promise’s before the election and what he has actually delivered so far.
Still, I’d like to share with you this article (Obama’s nuclear policy takes one step forward and two steps back) as there is a paragraph in it that reminded me on how dependant our actions are on the reciprocity factor.
On one hand Obama managed to bring down the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenal from just above 20000 to just below 20000 nuclear warheads. In my view an effort that’s symbolic at best. On the other hand he provided $8 billion in loan guarantees for the building of nuclear reactors in the U.S. (for the purpose of generating power domestically), and proposed another $40 billion more.
Why such a decision? Here’s a line from the Scientific American article above: “Obama has been pro-nuclear-energy since his days as an Illinois state senator and U.S. senator, when he accepted donations from the giant Illinois-based nuclear utility Exelon.”
Two top Exelon (nuclear plant corporation) officials, Frank M. Clark, executive vice president, and John W. Rogers Jr., a director, are among Obama’s largest fund-raisers. So. Would that have something to do with the decisions he’s taking?
I believe that many politicians have great, clean, and visionary ideas when they are young and not in power. But by the time they actually make it to power, they will have received so much support (mostly in terms of I’ll scratch your back and you promise to scratch mine), that they become puppets, not directly of the people they are indebted to, but of their own feeling to reciprocate to the wishes of their (by then) friends..
Is that what politics are? The art of compromising at the cost of ideology, authenticity, and vision?
Tags: exelon, favors in politics, nuclear energy, obama, reciprocity in politics
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March 25th, 2010
“If young people realize they might live past 100 and be in good shape to 90 or 95, it might make more sense to mix education, work and child-rearing across more years of life instead of devoting the first two decades exclusively to education, the next three or four decades to career and parenting, and the last four solely to leisure.”
James W. Vaupel (Duke University)
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2010/03/aging.html
Fascinating thought… How would you arrange/plan/dream your life if you knew you’d live to be in good shape at 90?
Better question yet: How should the institutions around us, guiding and supporting us in our lives, change??
Tags: Health, healthy life, long life
Posted in Health | No Comments »
March 24th, 2010
I’ve been accused of having a selective memory from time to time.. Aside from wondering why I tended to forget what a lot of my friends so clearly remembered, I was also always intrigued about how different people tend to remember certain details of one and the same event differently..
Here is a scientific study that hints at an explanation to how memories are created, altered, and forgotten: How to Erase Fear in Humans.
It seems that neural connections in which memories are stored have to be rebuilt each time a memory is recalled. During this rebuilding, memories can be altered or even erased. I would go so far to say that they ARE altered every time you remember them, as there is always something extra we add to the experience/story. So, basically, the scientists concluded that memories are only as accurate as the last time they were remembered.
1) So why do I forget stuff? — Because I never think about it 
..
2) And why do people’s memories regarding the same event differ? — Because no one really remebers it accurately, all they have are rebuilt and adapted versions of the actual event..
Could one also conclude from this that the more often you remember something the more innacurate the memory probably is?
Tags: accurate memories, ajdin, memories, memory, science, selective memory
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March 9th, 2010
A friend of mine sent me an email highlighting the Robin Hood Tax initiative, an idea how a crisis for the banks could turn into an opportunity for the world. I loved the idea at first sight, but then it got me thinking…
I voted NO, and think the Robin Hood Tax is a BAD idea for the following reasons:
1) To begin with, I believe banks would find a way to compensate for any loss in margin on their side. So what, as long as some of their money is used for good? Well, I can’t be sure, but one, or perhaps even any clever way by which they compensate their loss, would result in the printing of more money. And more money flowing around certainly will not solve any problems in the long term – in my view it will just contribute to the bubble-build bubble-burst trend the global financial system seems to be following.
2) Another reason why I think the Robin Hood tax is not such a good idea is the fact that it would directly link such good causes, as tackling poverty and climate change, to something as philosophically dubious as credit derivatives trading. With that, it would only strengthen the role derivatives trading plays in the global economy – an illusion already engulfing so much of world’s energy and creativity – and for what?
Concluding Note
Is there an alternative, ’solve poverty and stimulate climate change’ solution? So much creativity in the world… I’m sure we can come up with something better that another piece of chewing gum that would majestically fix the leaking roof.
I think the solution to poverty does not lie with banks at all, and if so, certainly not in giving banks more authority, responsibility, or even functionality. In my eyes, banks need to go back to their original function of guarding true value, and redistributing wealth and opportunity, if they are to be part of any solution.
Are you for or against the Robin Hood Tax and why? Leave a response below…
Tags: bank responsibility, climate change, poverty, robin hood tax
Posted in Politics & Economics | No Comments »
February 17th, 2010
I haven’t been posting much on my FreshNewsBlog lately. Spent most of my time on www.slimtennis.nl instead..
Anyway, this great article reminded me that I like sharing stuff that strikes an interest with me, and this article certainly did. How a Lack of Control Leads to Superstition, A Skeptic’s review of the study “Lacking Control Increases Illusory Pattern Perception”, By Michael Shermer.
In summary, what the article implies, based on scientific study, is that people often tend to identify coherent and meaningful interrelationships among a set of random or unrelated stimuli (such as the tendency to perceive false correlations, see imaginary figures, form superstitious rituals, and embrace conspiracy beliefs) when they have a feeling of lacking control over the matter. In other words, when individuals are unable to gain a sense of control objectively, they will try to gain it perceptually.
I wonder how big this effect is when it comes to religion !?
Anyway, this is the most interesting part of the article. One study indicated the following:
In a New England nursing home in which the residents were given plants, but only some had the opportunity to water them. Those residents who were in charge of watering the plants lived longer and healthier lives than the others, even those given plants watered by the staff. The sense of control had the apparent effect on physical health and well-being.
Does this mean what I think it means? We tend to live longer and happier when we have a sense of being in control over certain aspects in our surroundings!?
Tags: control, perception, superstition
Posted in Health, Inspirational | 2 Comments »