Friday, 29 January 2016
Research Confirms that Smarter People Live Longer
Back in 1932, almost every single 11-year-old in Scotland was surveyed as a part of the Scottish Mental Survey. All of the children were given the same IQ test and the data was updated throughout their lives until they passed away. Researchers have gone through all of that data from the last 84 years and found an interesting correlation: smarter people live longer lives. Even when factors like economic status and other lifestyle-related variables were taken out of the equation, the data held up.
According to the report done by Larence Whalley from the University of Aberdeen and Ian Deary from the University of Edinburgh, which was published in the British Medical Journal, a child with an IQ of 115 was 21% more likely to live past the age of 75. In their findings, they said, “Subjects who died before 1 January 1997 had a significantly lower mean IQ at age 11 years than subjects who were alive or untraced. Our data shows that high mental ability in late childhood reduces the chances of death up to age 76 years.”
There are two theories for why this data makes sense:
Smarter People do Less Dumb Stuff
This hypothesis makes the most sense to me. Smarter people are more likely to do things like buckle-up in their car or eat a healthier diet. Smarter people are also less likely to smoke or use drugs because of their knowledge of the negative side effects. More importantly, smart people do less dumb stuff. Just think about how many people die every year from just stupid things? That’s why the Darwin Awards exist. The concept of “survival of the fittest” works on humans too, and smarter people are fitter for survival.
Another theory is that smarter people literally have better nervous systems. A study that was published in 2005 discovered that people who had better reaction times lived longer lives. The Theory is that better reaction times are a sign that the subject’s nervous system was more efficient, and therefore, make people live longer.
Read: Researchers Find That People Who Use Curse Words Could Be Smarter And More Articulate
In addition, to that theory was the idea that IQ and longevity are both functions of genetics. David. Z Hambrick, a writer for Scientific American, cited a study of twins that showed that longevity and intelligence were products of good genes. According to Hambrick, “Twin studies disentangle the effects of environmental and genetic factors on an outcome such as intelligence or lifespan by comparing identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, and fraternal twins, who on average share only 50 percent of their genes. [The researchers] performed statistical analyses to estimate the contribution of genetic factors to the IQ-lifespan relationship. The results were clear and consistent: genes accounted for most of the relationship.”
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4 Easy Ways To Free Your Life Of Negative Energy
Do you find it hard to shake off negative feelings?
Do you sometimes feel like a dark cloud is blocking the sunshine from your life?
Do you wake up with crushing feelings of dread that you cannot shake off throughout the day?
It happens to all of us at different times in our lives, and it can take some practical solutions to get you back on track!
Here are some signs that negative energy has been blocking the light from your life:
– A lot of people have been annoying or upsetting you lately.
– You feel withdrawn.
– You haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye with people you love.
– A string of unfair things seem to have been happening to you.
– Your house seems gloomy and in a constant state of disorder.
– You feel that other people don’t appreciate you enough.
– You feel overly tired, distracted, stressed, or moody.
– Your sleeping and/or eating patterns are compromised.
– You find yourself overly emotional and crying a lot.
If you’ve been feeling any of these things, it’s a clear sign that negative energy has crept its way into your life.
Read: 3 Keys to Overcoming the Effects of Negative People
But don’t worry, because there are things you can do to clear away those clouds of negativity, so you can instantly lift your mood and naturally attract great things into your life.
1- Nourish your body:
Our body and energy systems take a battering when we allow negative emotions to take over. It’s so easy to want to crawl into bed all day and reach for the junk food for quick pick me ups and sugar highs. Admittedly there has to be an allowance for a little part of this in the healing ,, but after a day or two it can become a damaging habit.
Go out side for walks or even a run, get the oxygen flowing back into your blood stream, get that heart pumping and remind yourself of the gift it is to be truly alive. Exercise is key to raising endorphins and releasing serotonin, which is our body’s natural happy drug.
Eat nutritious, fresh, and healthy foods to rebuild your cells and help your body to function at its optimum. Choose this over the high sugar, high carb and salty options. If necessary make pure vegetable and fruit juices that can inject vitamins and nutrients quickly and efficiently into your system. But remember there is always room for a little more chocolate if that’s what you really want, does not deny yourself the comfort things either. Just choose balance, you know when it’s too much.
Read: 11 Traits Of People With High Emotional Intelligence
2- Spend time with people who make you feel good:
If you want to free your life from negative energy, it’s essential to spend your time with positive people, and avoid those who bring you down.
If someone’s always making you feel bad about yourself or affecting you energy field, they’re probably not worth your time or energy.
Instead, spend your time with the happy, vibrant people who lift you up and make you feel good about yourself.
These are people who you can laugh, play and share with.
It’s important to allow yourself to keep smiling during life’s humours and life’s pitfalls. With laughter, feelings such as stress, sadness, and frustration will gently flow away from you.
The best way to see the upside of a bad situation is always to surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good!
You may be tempted to retreat into your shell but the more you surround yourself with these happy, warm, vibrant people, the more your life will be enriched with happiness.
Read: Looking for Brains? 6 Research-Backed Signs of Above Average Intelligence
3- Clear up your living space:
A person’s living space usually reflects their inner state of mind. So when our homes, bedrooms, cars and work spaces are full of clutter, dirt and disorganisation, negative energy sets in, which often represents how we’ve been feeling. And the more time we spend in these disorderly environments, the more negative we feel.
However, when you’re in a room that is tidy, clean, warm, light and spacious, you almost can’t help but feel safe and comforted.
So that’s why the first powerful way you can blast away negative energy from your life is to give your living spaces a good shake up.
Start by getting rid of all of the clutter and rubbish that may be lying around, and throwing out anything that is worn out, never used, or simply doesn’t make you feel good.
You’d be surprised at how refreshed a good clear out can make you feel!
Clean away all of the dirt and dust, and open up your windows and doors to let the air flow freely through them. This will allow any negative energy to be carried away and fresh, clean air to flow in.
Try and allow as much sunlight into your house as possible, as this is filled with high-energy vibrations that make you feel happy and energised.
Lastly, to give your living spaces a fresh look, free up space by moving furniture around and add any color, photos, crystals, plants and art which makes you feel happy and at ease.
It seems simple, but creating a more positive environment can have a dramatic and positive impact on your mood!
Read: 6 Mental Habits that Make You More Susceptible to Feeling Depressed
4- Learn to let go of the negative emotions:
Negative energy feeds on negative emotions. It is normal and okay to sometimes feel sad, angry, or frustrated.
But the problem is when you don’t deal with these negative emotions and they start to fester, making you feel down for prolonged periods of time.
To prevent this from happening, it’s really important that you allow yourself to feel these emotions rather than trying to block them out, and explore why you are feeling this way.
If you feel like you need to cry, then allow yourself to cry in a place you feel safe.
If you feel like you need some alone time, then allow yourself to spend some time alone.
And if you feel the need to talk to someone, then allow yourself to open up to someone you trust.
Once you have accepted how you are feeling, and have taken steps towards making yourself feel better, the next step is to make the choice to let that negative emotion go.
Only once you have allowed yourself to come back to a point of peace and calm will you be able to start making positive changes in your life.
So instead of allowing yourself to be controlled by damaging thoughts, now you are the master of your own mind, and you can control how you react to negative situations.
Once you choose to start freeing your life of negative energy and confronting problems in a constructive way, you will be amazed at how joyful, free and amazing you feel.
You will soon see that by taking this positive, proactive approach, good things will easily and naturally flow into your life.
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Placebo Sleep: Tricking your Brain into Feeling Rested
One of the most fascinating and frustrating aspects of medical research has always been the “placebo effect.” Basically, you can tell someone they are taking a drug that will have a certain effect on them, give them a sugar pill that does nothing, and their brains will still create the effects of the fake drug. Mind over matter in real life. The effects of the placebo effect were first documented by Henry Knowles Beecher when he witnessed soldiers react to a saline solution that he told them was a painkiller. The same thing happens in medical trials all the time, and it actually used as the measure of how effective a drug actually is.
So if we can trick our brains into not feeling pain because we think we’ve been given a painkiller, how else can we use the placebo effect to our advantage? Researchers Christina Draganich and Kristi Erdal from Colorado College have figured out that the placebo effect can be used into tricking our brains thinking that we’ve gotten more sleep than we have, and therefore, will perform better than if we’d gotten less sleep.
The experiment involved taking students and giving them a lecture on sleep quality and its importance to cognitive function. They were told that people who spend between 20% and 25% of their sleep in the REM cycle historically performed better on cognitive testing. The students were also told that their amount of REM sleep could be measured by lingering biological effects the next day (which they can’t). All of this information was conditioning the students to think that if they got enough good sleep, that they would test better the next day. When students returned the next day they were randomly selected to be in a group that was told that they spent 28.7% (above average) of their sleep the night before in the REM cycle, and groups that were told that they only spent 16.2% (below average) in the REM cycle.
Read: Ground Breaking Neuroscience: 5 Things We Learned about the Brain in 2015
Knowing what they’d been told about sleep quality and cognitive function, the students then took test focusing on their cognitive abilities. Naturally, they students that believed that they had gotten more quality sleep scored higher on the tests. Between the conditioning before the experiment, and the student’s believing the results of the “lingering biological effects” of good sleep, their brains actually performed better. In their report of their study Draganich and Erdal say, ” These findings supported the hypothesis that mindset can influence cognitive states in both positive and negative directions, suggesting a means of controlling one’s health and cognition.”
Read: Looking for Brains? 6 Research-Backed Signs of Above Average Intelligence
Could it be possible to trick your brain into working better? The results from this study imply that it is, you just need to find a way to condition yourself, and trick yourself. The problem with tricking yourself is that it’s basically impossible in this sense. You’d have to have someone else tell you the results of your sleep analysis (even if they are completely fake). Oh yeah, and you can’t know that they are fake. Still, experiments like this one prove the power of the brain to function according to what we think to be true. Now all I need is someone to lie to me about how well I slept.
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10 Terms Of Endearment Used By Shakespeare
Terms of endearment are words we use to lovingly describe someone, or their behaviours. A lot of the same ones get thrown around and used repeatedly till they sometimes lose their meaning. If you’re looking for some new words to use to show affection, perhaps you should take a look to the past- to the words of William Shakespeare.
Although not much is known about the brilliant writer’s personal life, we do know that he had a way with words. In fact, he often created new words and used them in his unique style of writing. One biography even says this, “The English language owes a great debt to Shakespeare. He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising words wholly original.”
With such a gift for language, surely he must have come up with something other than “sweetie” or “cute.”
Indeed he did. Here are 10 Shakespearean words to show affection. Try them out and see how you like the fit.
1. Lambkin
When you want to say “lamb” but even “lamb-ier.” Lambkin is lovingly used to refer to someone who is remarkably sweet, innocent and light-hearted. It is pretty much the ultimate cutesy pet name.
2. Chuck
It doesn’t really sound that lovely, does it? It actually means “my love” or “loves” and was used as a term of endearment for husbands, as well as wives and children. In Love’s Labour Lost, Shakespeare writes: “Sweet chucks / beat not the bones of the buried.”
3. Bawcock
This is one term which Shakespeare was rather fond of using. Meaning “a fine fellow,” it comes directly from the French beau coc. Literally translated, it means “a handsome rooster.”
Read: 50 Everyday Phrases That Come Straight from Shakespeare
4. Duck
This term of endearment means “dear” or “darling.” Sometimes this is used with the added diminutive suffix of “y” to form “ducky.” Shakespeare uses this in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “O dainty duck, o deare!”
5. Ladybird
In Romeo & Juliet, the nurse who is trying to find Juliet calls out, “What lamb, what ladie bird… Where’s this girle!” This is the first recorded use of ladybird in English. This term of endearment shows affection for a close female friend, or sweetheart.
6. Bully
Okay, maybe using this one could be confusing. Before the word took on a negative tone, bullies were something to run towards, instead of away from. In the mid-1500s, the term bully meant someone was a good friend, or a sweetheart. Shakespeare used it in several of his plays, including Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Tempest. Only in the 1600s did the word change to a less friendly meaning.
Read: “I Have a Dream”: 25 of the Greatest Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.
7. Wag
Though this word is pretty much obsolete in current times, back in Shakespeare’s day it was used frequently. Mostly by mothers who were lovingly referring to the way their children would get into humourous mischief. Do you have a kid who seems to find funny ways of getting into trouble? Aww, what a sweet wag.
8. Bud
Believe it or not, this has been a term of endearment long before the 1980s. Shakespeare adopted this word from the Middle English budde. Originally meaning the literal bud of a plant, Shakespeare turned this into “an immature or underdeveloped person.” How is that a term of endearment? Not everything was seen as offensive back then.
9. Honey
The first use of the word in English came around 900, but wasn’t used as a sign of affection until Shakespeare’s time. This use of the word has stuck around for a long time, and will probably be here for a while.
Read: The Power of Myth: 25 Quotes from Joseph Campbell
10. Mouse
Though this word has been around in English since the days of Old English, it didn’t become a term of endearment until the 16th century- with Shakespeare’s writing. Usually said in reference to women, it means “demure, quiet, darling.”
Written by Raven Fon
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Could This Be The Secret To Happiness?
Scientists have been chasing the secret to happiness for years: Is it to do with spending less time on social media, learning more languages or having more sex? Maybe it’s geographical or about maintaining richer relationships and keeping your body healthy?
I think it is to do with all of the above and much more. But there is one thing that really stands out for me and that is time. You see, I recently had a conversation with a friend who had been cramming (rather unsuccessfully) for a higher education exam. I asked him why he needed the qualification and he explained he wanted to finally complete a course he had started several years ago and that he might need it for a new job, he then hastily added that actually he didn’t want another job on top of the ones he was already doing. It really hit home to both of us in that moment, how important free time was to our happiness.
In a new study, researchers from the University of British Columbia found that valuing your time over your money can help you to feel more content with the hand that you have been dealt.
The study that consisted of recruiting more that 4,600 participants, found an almost even split between those who prioritised their time over those who prioritised their wealth. However it was the older participants who favoured time over money and those who prioritised their time over money were happier overall. A participant’s gender or income didn’t affect whether they were more likely to value time or money. (Although the study does have its limitations, as it didn’t include participants living at the poverty level who may have to prioritise money to survive.)
Read: Key to Marital Happiness Could Be a Tall Order
“It appears that people have a stable preference for valuing their time over making more money, and prioritising time is associated with greater happiness,” said lead researcher Ashley Whillans. “Having more free time is likely more important for happiness than having more money. Even giving up a few hours of a paycheck to volunteer at a food bank may have more bang for your buck in making you feel happier.”
Not that a little bit of extra cash can’t make you happy – it sure can, and previous research has confirmed it , but not if that pay rise is fleeting or takes up more of your time. Also the price of living has gone up and often requires us to work harder and longer hours to simply survive, but often we can adjust to live within our means and more can become less when we actually sit down and reassess things properly, do you really need those two shop bought lattes every day? Can you learn how to make them at home?
There are some other practical ways to shift the balance. Perhaps if people want to focus more on their time and less on money in their lives, they could take some actions to help shift their perspective, such as working slightly fewer hours, paying someone to do disliked chores like cleaning the house or your accounts, or simplifying life by releasing unrealistic and unnecessary self-imposed pressures and deadlines. While some options might be available only for people with disposable income, even small changes could make a really big difference.
Read: Which Word Describes Your Happiness?
What is clear however, is that by fully cherishing the moments you do have to enjoy yourself, you are more likely to feel happy and content than counting your pennies, so don’t get sucked in to those extra hours for that little bit of extra dosh and enjoy the precious time you have doing things you love and taking time with the people you want to be with, even if it is just yourself.
The post Could This Be The Secret To Happiness? appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
3 Keys to Successfully Dating an Introvert
In exploring my own tendencies to be an extroverted introvert, I began to wonder what effects being an introvert could be having on my dating life. Granted, this might have been an exploration of my single status, the results were still surprising. I came across a study done by John Malouff, an Australian psychologist, in 2010 that involved 3,900 participants. Of those participants, the people that identified themselves as introverts reported lower levels of satisfaction in their relationships. What was more telling was that the people who identified as extroverts reported the same lowered levels of satisfaction from their relationships with an introvert. We all know that the heart wants what the heart wants, so what happens if you are an extrovert that falls in love with an introvert?
Give Up On Your Definition of Introvert
First off, take everything you think you know about what makes an introvert and how they act, ball it up, and throw it out the window. The last thing you need to do in any relationship is diagnose your partner. A lot of people associate introversion with being neurotic. That’s not the case at all. On the same token, not all introverts are created equally, so don’t make assumptions about what that person is or isn’t okay with.
Read: 6 Subtle Signs that You Might Actually be an Introvert
Their Need to Be Alone has Nothing to do with You
The most common sign of an introvert is a need to be alone. Not a desire, a need. You have to understand this about your partner and get over your own thoughts that they are mad at you or don’t want to be around you. Their need to be alone has nothing to do with you. This is the number one thing that tears relationships between introvert and extroverts apart. If you love your partner, respect their needs. Even if those needs require a little time apart.
Read: 4 Reasons Why Online Dating Just Makes Sense
It’s All About Comfort
In the end, just like any relationship between two people, it’s about supporting what makes your partner comfortable. Comfort is extremely important to anyone who identifies as an introvert. It’s just of what makes them who they are. Again, keep in mind that not all introverts fit into the same frame, so take the time to figure out what you partner like and doesn’t like when it comes to social situations. If you’re an introvert, don’t fret – the right person will put in the effort to figure out what you like and how to cultivate a relationship that you are both fully satisfied in.
The post 3 Keys to Successfully Dating an Introvert appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Thursday, 28 January 2016
6 Simple Ways To Reverse Grey Hair
It’s a fact of life that as we age many of us either lose our hair completely or it goes grey. But why does this happen? Someone once told me it’s because we are losing our life’s essence, that was pretty depressing to hear and made me yearn for an elixir of life.
It is simply a common cosmetic issue that affects both men and women. So, what are the most common factors and reasons for gray hair ? There are many factors that contribute to this condition, and the most common ones are: stress, some kind of disease or it’s simply down to genetics.
Some people I know look exceptionally beautiful with their grey and platinum locks, but not everyone is happy or comfortable with the change.
The medical experts explain that this type of issue, or graying, usually occurs as a result of the body’s inability to produce melanin – a compound which is part of the hair follicle. So, when the melanin production in the hair follicle stops, then your hair will start turning into gray or white.
Melanin not only affects the colour of our hair but it’s also the substance that occurs in the body also creates the pigment in our skin and the iris of our eyes. Moreover, it protects the skin from UV rays and when levels rise, our dermis darkens, giving us a tan and keeping it intact for longer.
You shouldn’t be worried if you have this kind of problem, it is reversible and there are lots of natural solutions to encourage the production of Melanin in your body and here are a few:
Sunshine:
Melanin production can be activated externally through solar exposure, as the sun favours increasing levels of melanin in our body. To do so, always use sunblock and avoid the sun between 1:00 and 3:00pm to avoid sunburn.
Vitamin A:
You can increase levels of Melanin through food. Your best allies can be foods rich in vitamin A and, especially, in beta-carotene such as carrots, pumpkin, spinach, papaya, tomato, red pepper and melon. All of them favour the production of melanin.
Read: 5 Ways That Siblings Truly Enhance Our Lives
Vitamin E:
It’s not just vitamin A that will be useful in this task, as all foods rich in vitamin E also stimulate the production of melanin. The ingredients that have a greater amount of this nutrient are: vegetable oils (wheat oil, sunflower oil, soy, olive), green leaf vegetables, nuts (almonds, pine nuts, cashew nuts…), egg yolk and fruits like kiwi, mango, avocado, plums and grapes.
Vitamin B and D:
Other essential vitamins to increase melanin in your body are vitamins B and D, both will give your skin the protection you need against UV rays and boost colour in your hair. Vitamin B can be found in dairy products, green vegetables, pulses, eggs, chicken and Brewer’s yeast. On the other hand, blue fish are a good source of vitamin D.
Read: 4 Ways Researchers Say MODERATE Drinking can Actually Help your Brain
Supplements:
You can also resort to adding the fore-mentioned vitamins in the form of supplements, as well as L-Tyrosine and gingko biloba, as they’re good options to keep the levels of melanin in your body. Before starting any treatment it’s very important to consult your doctor so he can advise you on the best option for your case and tell you if it’s harmful or not for your health.
Finally here is a homemade recipe you can keep in your fridge to help you reverse back to your natural hair colour.
Here’s what you need to do:
Ingredients:
- 200 ml flaxseed oil
- 4 lemons (unpeeled)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 kg honey
Directions: First, you need to slice the lemons and the garlic. Then, you should add the flaxseed and the honey. Mix everything together until you get a homogenous mixture and store the mixture into a glass jar. Note: make sure you keep the jar in your fridge.
How to use it: You should consume 1 tablespoon of this homemade remedy, 2 times every day, before your meals.
Read: Natural Ways to Relieve Stress that Actually Work
Other natural remedies for grey hair:
- You can also massage your scalp with cow milk butter, 2 times every week, for at least 2-3 months.
- Or mix 1l yogurt and 1 tbs. yeast. You need to consume it in small amounts, before every meal.
Another also very useful and effective treatment – bring some coconut oil to boil and add some curry leaves in it. When it’s done, strain the oil and let it cool. You need to apply this oil on your scalp gently. Leave it on for few minutes and then wash it off with shampoo and warm water.
Why not try it and see and don’t forget to leave us feedback here on the results, remember changes won’t be immediate and may take from a couple of months to a year to be really noticeable.
The post 6 Simple Ways To Reverse Grey Hair appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Medical Breakthrough! The ONE Prescription that Cures Anxiety, Depression, and Exhaustion
We see them all around us, every single day: promises of salvation from pills. Digestive issues? Sure, there is a pill for that. Wedding tackle not up to snuff? Sure, we have a pill for that too. No matter what your ailment may be, it seems someone has a pill.
The only problem seems to be the myriad of side effects that are associated with these “miracles” in pill form. Everything from blacking out to “anal seepage” can be found in the side effects of the most common prescription pills. In some cases, the original condition is better than the side effects. Let’s not even mention the prescription pills that kill thousands of people every year.
So what if there was a prescription that someone could take that would alleviate the symptoms of the most perplexing conditions we face as humans, with a list of side effects that are in and of themselves a treatment of sorts? A true medical breakthrough that has been confirmed by countless studies over the last several decades by scores of researchers from dozens of accredited institutions. Sounds way to good to be true, I know. But such a prescription exists and it’s right around the corner from all of us, we just don’t pay attention to it.
Read: Stephen Hawking’s Beautiful Advice For Those Who Suffer From Depression
Right under our collective noses is a drug that can alleviate depression, exhaustion, and anxiety. Check out the following videos that show the miracle cure that is: Nature.
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The Science of First Impressions: The 2 Things that people Immediately Determine About Us
Whether it is approaching someone at a bar or walking in the door to a job interview, people are judging us nearly constantly. These first interactions and impressions are critical to the success or failure of the meeting. There is an almost endless myriad of factors that go into a first impression like appearance, body language, and other physical characteristics. In the end, they all boil down to one thing: what the other person thinks about you. That is what makes first impressions so nerve-wracking. Often times we are left to ponder what it is that someone thinks about us, and if your brain is anything like mine – there are a million things that could be going on in that person’s head.
Harvard psychologist and author, Amy Cuddy, says that people determine 2 things bout you upon first meeting them:
Can I Trust this Person?
and
Can I Respect this Person?
In psychological terms, these two aspects boil down to warmth and competence. In a professional setting, respect is a product of feeling like someone is competent. Trust or warmth, however, is what is most important to people. Cuddy says, “From an evolutionary perspective, it is more crucial to our survival to know whether a person deserves our trust.” Think about it this way: If you don’t trust someone to not kill you in your sleep, what difference does it make if they are a good provider? Establishing trust is the key to showcasing competency.
Read: WATCH: The Weird Science Behind What Anesthesia Does to the Brain
Cuddy found that people who focused too much on showcasing their abilities often actually caused their trustworthiness to be suspicious. When people focus simply on showing off what they can do, instead of getting to know the people around them, they can sabotage that trust in their abilities. Cuddy points out that overachievers often come off as distant and unapproachable. She says, “If someone you’re trying to influence doesn’t trust you, you’re not going to get very far; in fact, you might even elicit suspicion because you come across as manipulative.”
Read: Optogenetics: The Revolution of Neuroscience
The key to making the most out of the two factors that people judge us on is developing enough trust to earn their respect. Again, you can be the best at something that you do, but if no one trusts you – you won’t have the opportunity to prove it. According to Cuddy, “A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after you’ve established trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat.” Cuddy’s new book, “Presence”, goes into more detail about how people perceive us, and how to always put your best foot forward in situations involving new people. It’s definitely an interesting insight into the science of first encounters.
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Mind of the Dragon: 31 Quotes from the Master, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee wasn’t just an actor who portrayed a kung-fu master in movies, he was a martial arts master in real life. It was his dedication to the martial arts in life that made him so great in his on-screen roles. Lee’s endless dedication to his art is what makes him a true cultural icon. He beleieved there is nothing you can’t acheive if you set your mind to it. Here is a collection of some of the greatest quotes from the mind of the master, Bruce Lee.
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”
“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
“Be happy, but never satisfied.”
“Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
Read: 16 Bad Ass Quotes from Motorhead Frontman Lemmy Kilmister
“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
Read: The Power of Myth: 25 Quotes from Joseph Campbell
“Don’t fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.”
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
“The doubters said,
“Man can not fly,”
The doers said,
“Maybe, but we’ll try,”
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believers
Watched from below.”
Read: You Will Be Missed Professor Snape: 15 of the Greatest Alan Rickman Quotes
“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
“If you don’t want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today.”
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successfull personality and duplicate it.”
“Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”
“Not being tense but ready.
Not thinking but not dreaming.
Not being set but flexible.
Liberation from the uneasy sense of confinement.
It is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.”
“A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.”
“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”
“Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.”
Read: “I Have a Dream”: 25 of the Greatest Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.
“If there is a God, he is within. You don’t ask God to give you things, you depend on God for your inner theme.”
“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.”
“Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life! Do not be concerned with escaping safely- lay your life before him!!”
“A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence. ”
The post Mind of the Dragon: 31 Quotes from the Master, Bruce Lee appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
The Secrets Behind The Science Of Persuasion
Have you ever wished you could be more persuasive? Influencing others requires more than a charming smile or a pretty face; there is actually a science behind the psychology of persuasion.
Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence, earning him a worldwide reputation as an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation.
Not only does Cialdini have a Ph.D from the University of North Carolina and post doctoral training from Columbia University, he also held Visiting Scholar Appointments at Ohio State University, the University of California, the Annenberg School of Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of Stanford University. On top of all of that, he is the author of several top selling books.
His books including, Influence: Science & Practice, are the collaborative result of over 60 years of peer-reviewed research on why people comply with requests.
Read: Shhh, Keeping Your Goals a Secret May Help You to Achieve Them.
Cialdini says that due to our lives being overloaded (and over-scheduled), we often take shortcuts when it comes to making decisions, instead of utilizing all the available information in front of us.
The following animated video explains there are 6 universal shortcuts that guide human behaviour:
1. Reciprocity
2. Scarcity
3. Authority
4. Consistency
5. Liking
6. Consensus
Cialdini says, “Understanding these shortcuts, and employing them in an ethical manner, can significantly increase the chances that someone will be persuaded by your request.”
Not only is this video easy to understand, it gives us a glimpse at the often overlooked human behaviour of agreeing with others.
Read: The Secret of Getting Ahead: 20 Inspirational Quotes from Mark Twain
What are your thoughts? Have you tried using this method to achieve your goals? Tell us in the comments!
Written by Raven Fon
The post The Secrets Behind The Science Of Persuasion appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
The Benefits of Knitting for your Mind, Body, and Soul
I have a friend of mine that is very much into knitting. The fact that he is a welder by trade made this a little strange to me, but he loves it and eventually I will quit asking him how the “baby bootie business” is going. According to him, knitting is how he relaxes, so who am I to fault him? It reminds me of a friend I had when I played football who quietly admitted to taking ballroom dancing classes. No, there is nothing wrong with a man taking dancing classes, but the fact that he was 6 and a half feet tall and weighed 300 pounds didn’t exactly inspire mental images of a graceful waltzer. Sure enough, 4 or 5 weeks into the class, this guy went from moving like a tank in a mudhole to gliding around the field like a caffeinated ferret on ice. Dancing taught him footwork in a way that actually made him more nimble. I did a little reading, and as it turns out, the simple act of knitting is great for your mind, your body, and your soul. Even if you aren’t a welder.
Mind
Knitting is like a full-body workout for your brain because there are so many elements involved. Knitting causes you to use the parts of your brain that are associated with motor function, memory, spatial navigation, timing, movement, attention to detail, and planning. Between all of these separate functions your brain uses the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, and the cerebellum. Your brain is like a muscle, so the best way to prevent cognitive decline is to use it, and knitting puts your entire brain through its paces.
Read: The 7 Surprising Health Benefits Of Whisky That Will Blow Your Socks Off
Body
The dexterity involved in knitting is great for your hands. Using your hands in a manner that puts a little strain on them, without wearing them out is perfect for maintaining good joint health. Gentle use of your fingers builds the cartilage and ligaments up without destroying them like more strenuous activities can. Dr. Alton Barron points out, “If you let a joint sit, not only will it get stiff, but the actual cartilage will lose its structural integrity and break down. Most of us grow up thinking the more you use something the more it wears out, but that’s not the case with cartilage.”
Soul
Once you get into the groove of knitting, the repetitive, rhymic nature actually has the same effect on your brain as meditation. This is a phenomenon associated with any activity that requires basic to intermediate motor skills and passive memory. Basically, the brain shuts out everything else and just focuses on what it needs to do to get the task done. With knitting, you also get the sense of accomplishment that comes with creating something useful from raw materials. So essentially, it’s like meditating and getting a blanket when you are done.
Read: Research Shows that Keeping a Journal is Great for the Mind, Body, and Soul
I know I may give my burly, bearded, welder buddy a hard time for knitting, but secretly – I really think he is on to something.
The post The Benefits of Knitting for your Mind, Body, and Soul appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
The Science Behind Waking Up
One of the things I have always loved about science is the fact that it will never stop. We will never know everything and, therefore, will always keep learning. What amazes me about science is how little we know about some of the most seemingly simple things. For instance, what is the one thing that every single person reading this did today? They woke up. But, did you know that scientists have just recently discovered exactly how our brains go through the complex chemical process of waking us?
Neuroscientists in Switzerland have been focusing on a specific network of connections in the brain between the hypothalamus and the thalamus that is responsible from bringing our brains going from being asleep to being awake. According to their findings, when they exposed a certain part of the neural connection to light, they were able to trigger the waking process in mice. Not only did the light wake the mice, it could be used to keep them awake. No, it’s not weird that I’m pointing a flashlight at my head right now…
They also found that by inhibiting the circuits in the same part of the brain, they could induce a deeper sleep. The neuroscientists know which parts of the brain are associated with deep REM and non-REM sleep, but they still don’t quite know how they work. Although the mechanics remain a mystery, the discovery of the neural network is a big step toward figuring out exactly how our brains control sleep and wakefulness.
Read: WATCH: The Amazing Science Behind How our Brains Really Work
So what’s the big deal with knowing how our brains rouse us from sleep? One application the scientists are excited about is the potential to wake long-term coma patients. More importantly, the more we learn about this part of the brain, the more doctors can begin to understand certain types of sleeping disorders. Sleep disorders are becoming an epidemic of sorts, affecting between 50-70 million people every year. Antoine Adamantidis, a researcher from the University of Bern, said: “The consequences of sleep perturbations on life quality go far beyond daytime sleepiness and mood alteration. Cognitive impairment, hormonal imbalance and high susceptibility to cardiac or metabolic disorders are amongst some of the negative impacts frequently associated with subtle chronic sleep problems.” Having a better understanding of how to make our brains sleep and wake more efficiently could provide new therapeutic options for people who suffer from chronic sleep disorders.
The post The Science Behind Waking Up appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
6 Mental Habits that Make You More Susceptible to Feeling Depressed
We’ve all been lead to believe that depression is a condition that exists in our brains that we have no control over. In a recent study, 87.4% of people surveyed said that they believed that depression was likely caused by a chemical imbalance. This common theory has been widely accepted, but in reality, never proven. Not even by the companies that produce anti-depressant drugs. The idea that the chemicals in our brain may contribute to symptoms of depression is one that was fostered by pharmaceutical companies, and people have taken it as fact. The truth is there is no hard evidence that’s been done that can prove one way or another what is responsible for depression on a physiological level. For instance, drugs like Prozac and Zoloft that are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that keep more serotonin in the brain can alleviate symptoms of depression, but that doesn’t mean that there was a chemical problem to begin with. Much like taking aspirin relieves the symptoms of a headache, but not because your brain was lacking aspirin. This was proven by the efficiency of another drug that reduces serotonin in the brain and had the same effect on depression symptoms as drugs that increased serotonin levels. The truth is that through decades of research, there has never been a “cause” of depression that can be associated to a physiological condition.
That being said, there are common precursors for depression that we are all susceptible to, and they have nothing to do with chemicals in our brains. They are little things that we all do every day that opens the door to the most common symptoms of depression. On the surface, they seem simple enough but have an accumulative effect over time. Before you attribute any signs of depression to something being wrong with your brain, pay attention to these 6 bad mental habits that can make you more vulnerable to the effects of depression.
Holding on to Negative Thoughts
I think the most common thing that people do that leads to depression is the harboring of negative thoughts. The most common form of holding on to negativity revolves around focusing on your past. Focusing on bad things in your life shapes your vision for the future. If all you think about is the negative things that have happened in the past, how can you even pay attention to the good things going on around you? It’s a function of attitude. If your attitude toward the world is negative, then your perception of the world is negative. The notion of someone wearing “rose colored glasses”, and therefore only seeing things in a happy light, is not far from the truth. The same goes for seeing the world in a negative light.
Read: Study Shows Cellphone Use Can Lead To Damaged Relationships And Depression
Pursuing Unrealistic Goals
Goals are important in life, but if you are aspiring towards a goal that is never going to happen – you will constantly feel defeated. I’ve talked about this before and said that if your goal in life is to climb a mountain, but you don’t get off of your couch, you will constantly feel disappointed. Technically there is almost nothing you can’t do in this life if you put in the work and effort to do it. So in my previous example, your goal should be to get in shape, be more active, and make strides toward climbing that mountain. But, for some people, they want to just skip past the work part, and achieve the end result. It doesn’t work that way.
Self-Diagnosis/Medication
So many people are quick to self-diagnose. They think, “well, I’m not happy today – I must be depressed.” If someone thinks they are depressed, chances are that they will be. People then take the next step and start looking for ways to alleviate their self-diagnosed depression with anything that makes them feel good. Drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, food binges, intense workouts, and other destructive behaviors become the “medicine”. Hell, even when someone goes to a doctor and the doctor says that they are depressed, the first thing they do is fill a prescription for a drug. Underdiagnosis and overmedication are the medical practice of our times. Imagine what would happen to a person if they thought they were depressed and their doctor said, “no – you are normal, you’re just having a tough time right now.” We all have that same power to self-dispute as we do to self-diagnose.
Read: What Is Depression? The Dog In This Video Clarifies Everything
Negative Schemas
Schemas are a very interesting aspect of human psychology that often don’t get enough attention paid to them. Schemas are the cognitive structures that we’ve developed over time that determine how our brains process information. The easiest way to explain this is the notion of a “Debbie downer.” We all know that person or people in our lives that no matter what the situation, they always see the negative. Then there are those people that always see the silver lining. This isn’t a function of being naive or negative, it is just how that person’s brain works. Schemas shape our beliefs, so if you harbor negative schemas (no one like me), that is how your brain processes information on an ongoing basis. Changing how you think isn’t a matter of re-inventing the wheel, so to speak, it is a process of being aware of those negative schemas. Just like your brain can be trained to process information in a negative manner, it can be trained to see the good side of any situation.
Lack of Motivation
Motivation is a strange aspect of human psychology. Take someone who hates to run and put them in a field with a hungry tiger. All of the sudden you have a track star. Someone who won’t cross the street to go to a gym will walk 3 miles for a cheeseburger. Motivation is all about rewards. If you are unmotivated, there are no rewards. This is a catch-22 of sorts because a lot of people aren’t self-motivated. Sure, it is easy to be motivated in the scenario with the tiger, but what about scenarios where the motivation to succeed has to come from within? To complicate matters, not all people are motivated by the same things. For some, money is a great motivator. For others, it is happiness that gets things done. The key here is to find what it is that motivates you, and use it to your advantage.
Read: Legalities of Psilocybin Research are Preventing New Treatments for Depression
Constant Exhaustion
Depression can be both the symptom and the cause of exhaustion. I’m not talking about the kind of exhaustion that results from not getting enough sleep. I’m talking about the kind of exhaustion that keeps you from even wanting to think or move. Pure mental and physical exhaustion is an all-encompassing thing. A lot of times, exhaustion is a product of our busy, non-stop lifestyles. In other cases, it is a result of a brain that goes 100 miles an hour all the time. The best thing some of us can do is just slow down, recharge, and rest. I can’t speak enough good things about the power of meditation, and the effects it can have on your life. Take a few minutes a couple of times a day to just relax, and see if your mood doesn’t improve.
The post 6 Mental Habits that Make You More Susceptible to Feeling Depressed appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Looking for Brains? 6 Research-Backed Signs of Above Average Intelligence
There you are, quietly enjoying yourself at a social function of some sort, and from across the room, someone catches your eye. Carefully you approach, eloquently engage the person in conversation, put on your best smile, and your best foot is forward. All is going seemingly well until disaster strikes: you realize that the person is a complete idiot. Easy on the eyes is nice but as an intelligent person, you feel like this person needs to write an apology letter to the trees that are working their leafy asses off to provide this person with the oxygen they are clearly wasting by speaking. You quietly excuse yourself and run to your nearest center of knowledge to make sure that your brain isn’t permanently impaired.
Wouldn’t life be so much easier for people that care about intelligence in the opposite sex if we just walked around with our base IQ score on a sticker on our shirts? I think that’s going to be a hard trend to get people to catch on to. So, I found several studies that show simple indicators that a person is more intelligent. Some of them don’t even require having to speak to the person. Now just because these are backed by actual scientific research, doesn’t mean that they are fool-proof. Still, they make for a mental checklist that helps you seek out intelligence faster, and with less interference from morons.
Tall
In 2008, researchers from Princeton University found that children who were tall for their age scored higher on IQ tests. According to their findings, “As early as age 3 — before schooling has had a chance to play a role — and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests.” Interestingly, those children also ended up making more money on average as adults.
Drink Regularly
Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, found that adults who drank more alcohol scored higher on IQ tests as children and teenagers. Now, I know that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are smarter adults, but it shows at one point in their life that they were intelligent. That’s better than nothing, right?
Musically Inclined
A study in 2011 and a study in 2004 both showed that kids who took music lessons scored higher on verbal and IQ tests. Glen SChellenberger, the researcher who did the study in 2004, also did a study in 2013 that showed that children who were naturally more intelligent were more likely to take music lessons, indicating that intelligence and musical abilities are correlated both ways.
Read: Anxiety And Worry May Be Linked To Higher Intelligence
Started Reading Early
A study done in 2012 involving 2,000 pairs of identical twins found that the child who learned to read first was the smarter of the two twins. Now, obviously you can’t tell if someone is a twin without talking to them – unless they are with the twin, and even then you can’t determine if they were the first to be able to read. BUT, you can spark a conversation about reading and if they say something like, “Yeah I didn’t learn to read until I was 17,” you might want to move on.
Uses Recreational Drugs
Don’t assume that the guy in the corner at the party with the joint is a burn-out. A recent study of 6,000 British participants that were born in 1958 found a correlation between high IQ as a child and drug use as an adult. It’s important to note that this was based on “selected illegal drugs”. I’m sure PCP wasn’t on the list. James W. White, Catharine R. Gale, and David Batty wrote in their findings, “In our large population-based cohort study, IQ at 11 years was associated with a greater likelihood of using selected illegal drugs 31 years later.”
Read: 11 Traits Of People With High Emotional Intelligence
Funny
This one is pretty simple. There have been dozens of studies linking intelligence to a sense of humor, and they all say the same thing: funny people are smarter. Worst case scenario, even if the person is only marginally smarter than average, at the very least, they are entertaining, right?
The post Looking for Brains? 6 Research-Backed Signs of Above Average Intelligence appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Monday, 25 January 2016
How To Get Her To Fall In Love With You: Explained By Science
Being in love is practically indescribable and utterly unmistakable. The heart flutters, the constantly thinking-about-them, the rush when they call or text or you see them (mega rush). You often find yourself speechless when trying to describe your feelings and gush endlessly about how amazing your sweetie is. “Objective” is not a term that comes to mind.
Yet being objective can be extremely helpful in learning the science behind falling in love. How does a guy get a girl to fall in love with him, and what’s going on behind the scenes that makes all of those butterfly-bellied, jelly-legged, starry-eyed moments happen? Social science and hard science combine to bring you the ultimate guide to making her fall in love with you.
Actualized.org’s Leo brings a boatload of tried-and-true field research to the table in this video on getting a girl to fall in love with you. The TL;DW boils down to this: do. Everything. Except for being clingy or needy. Contrary to popular belief, girls do not want guys who are clingy or needy, or who make them the center of their universe. Girls want guys who have their own lives, who are decision-makers, and who invite adventure and excitement into their lives.
What Leo really describes is how to get a girl to become attracted and stay attracted to you. So here’s how, guys:
1. Personality attracts women, not looks. Hey, guys who get too hung up on your imperfections: you’re doing it wrong. Get your awesome, unique personality shining and we won’t be checking out any of those imperfections anyway. The opposite is also true: if you’re boring and have nothing interesting to say, then we’ll start picking up on the imperfections. Because at this point we’re already bored and disinterested, and now we’re going to be on the lookout for flaws.
2. Women enjoy a wide range of emotions and men who can tune into us emotionally and do things that elicit those emotions are more attractive than men who don’t…even if they’re the “bad” emotions like anger, jealousy, etc. Shake up our world a little bit. You’re more interesting that way.
3. Women love sex but it takes a lot more to get us stimulated than it does to get you stimulated. You’re going to have to slow way down, take it easy, and focus…on…us. Leo’s contention is that you should be giving your lady at least five orgasms a night: personally, to me that sounds impossible. Maybe I need to seek out guys who’ll try harder.
Read: 6 Realistic Relationship Tips you Might Not Want to Hear
And finally, once you do attract us, don’t stop doing all of the stuff that attracted us in the first place. You need to keep doing all of that cool stuff and keeping us engaged so we don’t get bored with you and look elsewhere. After we’ve been attracted to you for long enough, the likelihood is that we’ll fall in love with you.
So this all sounds cool, but is it backed up by hard science? The answer is an emphatic yes. Thanks to the spectacular technology of magnetic resonance imaging we know that the brain of a person in love looks a lot like the brain of a person on cocaine: their pleasure threshold is lowered so it actually takes less stimulation to make them feel just as happy, and pain and aversion centers in the brain are firing less, so things that would usually bother a person don’t really get to them when they’re in love. Also, because the pleasure center threshold is lowered, anything that increases pleasure is felt even more acutely. Furthermore, surges of feel-good chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine give us that racing heart feeling as well as the desire to be with the person who is the object of our love even more and more, and the neuromodulator oxytocin (the “commitment neuromodulator”) also increases, which heightens our instincts for pair bonding. People in love also have lower serotonin levels; they are in fact comparable to those of people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder. This helps explain the rather obsessive tendencies of a person in the early stages of romantic love and infatuation.
Read: Dating Tips for the Digital Era
Finally, I have to say that, as a single, heterosexual woman, I started off researching this article with a lot of skepticism. It was really nice to be rather blown away by both the social science experiments Leo conducted for Actualized.org and it was pretty cool to see that human chemistry backs it all up. So, guys, now that you know what to do…what are you waiting for?
The post How To Get Her To Fall In Love With You: Explained By Science appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
11 Traits Of People With High Emotional Intelligence
Lately, new ways to describe human interactions, social behaviours, and many facets of psychology have emerged on the social network scene. One of those descriptions is “high emotional intelligence.”
What is emotional intelligence, and why do the people who have it seem to succeed at everything they do?
Psychology Today says, “Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.” Usually, the following 3 skills are included:
1. Emotional awareness, along with being able to identify your personal emotions and the emotions of others
2. The ability to tackle emotions and apply them to activities like problem solving
3. The ability to regulate emotions, including the ability to control your own emotions and the ability to lift-up or calm-down another person
If you are wondering if you have high emotional intelligence (EI), or if you are interested in improving your EI to achieve personal goals in your life or career, here are 11 traits that people with high EI share.
1. They are not perfect.
Perfectionism tends to get in the way of a lot of things, like finishing tasks and achieving goals. This happens because perfectionists have trouble starting things, they procrastinate, and are always searching for the correct answer when there usually isn’t one. For this reason, people with EI are not perfectionists. They understand that there is no such thing as “perfection”, and they move forward. When mistakes are made, they learn from them and make adjustments accordingly. Personally, I find myself having to work on this daily because I tend to have moments of over-analyzing, and as a Virgo, perfectionism is something I struggle to leave behind.
2. They understand there is a balance between work and play.
When you work all day and all week, without making time for yourself, you add stress and health problems to your life. This is why people with EI know when to give themselves a break, and make time for play. In other words, if you need time to disconnect from the world, take the time! Unplugging from the daily grind will certainly reduce stress levels and make you generally more happy.
3. They see change as a welcome part of life.
Rather than becoming distraught when change emerges, emotionally intelligent people understand that change is a part of life. It includes the good and the bad, and it is better to accept it than fight it. Don’t be afraid of change. Instead, adapt to the changes around you and work with what you have.
Read: 8 Things that People with High Emotional Intelligence Simply Don’t Do
4. They are curious about others.
Regardless of whether someone is outgoing, outspoken, or quiet and subdued, emotionally intelligent people are curious about others around them. This curiousity stems from one being empathic. Empathy is one of the biggest contributing factors of EI, so it should be no surprise that the more you care about others, the more you will be curious about them as well.
5. They experience empathy.
As I just mentioned, empathy plays a huge part of having emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, told The Huffington Post that empathy is one of the five components of emotional intelligence.
“[There’s a] spectrum that goes from complete self-absorption to noticing to empathy and to compassion,” Goleman said in a TED talk on compassion. “The simple fact is that if we are focused on ourselves, if we’re preoccupied — which we so often are throughout the day — we don’t really fully notice the other.”
Being more mindful, instead of being completely absorbed in your own world, plants the seeds of compassion – an imperative part of EI.
6. They know what their strengths are, as well as their weaknesses.
Those with EI know what they are good at and what they are not-so-good at. Not only do they accept what their strengths and weaknesses are, they are aware of how to leverage those by working with the right people in the right circumstance.
Read: Emotional Intelligence: Is It More Important than your IQ?
7. They are self-motivated.
When we were kids we usually did things because there was a reward at the end of it. However, if you were one of those children who did things because it was your goal, that might have helped your EI level today. Those who have the “go-getter” attitude possess another trait of emotional intelligence.
8. They do not live in the past.
People who have high EI refuse to dwell in the past. Why is this? Well it’s because they are far too busy contemplating the possibilities of what tomorrow may bring. Past mistakes never weigh them down with negativity, and they do not hold grudges. Remember, moving forward, not looking behind, is what helps us grow.
9. Their focus is on the positive.
Those who are emotionally intelligent would rather spend their time and energy contributing to the solution, than focusing on the problem. Rather than staying planted in the negative, they see the positive. They focus on what they have control of instead of wasting time focusing on all the things that have gone wrong. They also tend to spend more time with other positive people.
10. They are difficult to offend.
Having high EI also means knowing who you are. And if you have a firm grasp of what it means to be “you”, then it’s pretty difficult for someone to say or do something that will upset you. Emotionally intelligent people have self-confidence and their minds are open. This means they know the difference between humour and degradation.
Read: Birth Order Doesn’t Affect Personality – But It could Affect Intelligence
11. They create and maintain boundaries.
Some people may think that those with high EI are easily manipulated, or that they are pushovers due to their kindness and politeness. However, they do know how to set boundaries, and enforce them. In other words, they know how to say “no.”
After reading these 11 traits, do you find yourself having anything to work on? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Written by Raven Fon
The post 11 Traits Of People With High Emotional Intelligence appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Energy Revolution: Printable Solar Cells
Over the last decade, solar power has made leaps and bounds towards becoming a more viable alternative to fossil fuel energy sources. One of the biggest hurdles that solar power has faced in the past has been scalability. With older technology it took a lot of solar panels to generate a usable amount of energy. As researchers have developed newer, more efficient solar panels, the viability of solar power has been on the rise. Now, researchers from the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium in Australia believe that they have made the next big leap in solar cell technology.
Teaming up with scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the University of Melbourne, and Monash University have developed a new type of solar cell that can literally be print flexible solar cells with a 3D printer. The panels are inexpensive to produce and because they are flexible, they can be applied to everything from cell phones to skyscrapers. This technology has been in development for 7 years, and stands to be the solar energy breakthrough that could make renewable energy a powerhouse in electrical production. (pun intended)
Read: Peru to Provide Free Solar Panels to its Poorest Residents
According to Fiona Scholes, a senior research scientist at CSIRO, “We print them onto plastic in more or less the same way we print our plastic banknotes. Connecting our solar panels is as simple as connecting a battery. It’s very cheap. The way in which it looks and works is quite different to conventional silicon rooftop solar.” Because the material can basically be printed directly onto any surface, the issues with scalability and cost of older solar technology is no longer an issue. Scholes and her colleagues are now working on ways to enhance the potential for this technology by making the panels more efficient. she says, “We would like to improve the efficiency of solar panels – we need to develop solar inks to generate more energy from sunlight. We are confident we can push the technology further in the years to come.”
Read: Now You can Live Anywhere in the World with the Solar and Wind Powered Ecocapsule
Check out this video from the University of Melbourne that details how the panels are made, and their potential to be used almost anywhere. This breakthrough is amazing news in the progress of renewable energy becoming the standard, instead of the exception.
The post Energy Revolution: Printable Solar Cells appeared first on I Heart Intelligence.
Friday, 22 January 2016
Venezuela Passes Historical Seed Law Banning GMO Seeds
The GMO debate has been gaining attention across the globe for the past several years. Some countries are moving to make sure that GMO foods are labeled while others have banned them completely. The latest step taken by a country to prevent genetically modified organisms is one that is making history. Venezuela’s parliament has recently passed a law that deals specifically with the seeds that produce GMO’s, which is the first of it’s kind.
Venezuela’s groundbreaking seed law states:
“The objective of this law is to preserve, protect, guarantee the production, propagation, conservation, free circulation and use of seed, as well as the promotion, investigation, distribution and commercialization of the same, from a agro-ecological socialist vision, with special emphasis on the valorization of the indigenous, Afro-descendant, peasant, and local seed, that benefits biodiversity and supports the preservation of life on the planet with the purpose of consolidating our food security and sovereignty, prohibiting the release, the use, the propagation, the entrance into the country and the national production of transgenic seeds and prohibiting the patents and rights of breeders (derechos de obtentor) over seed.”
To accomplish the goal of protecting the integrity of the seeds planted in Venezuela, the law has 6 main goals:
1.-Promote the transition from conventional systems of production based on monoculture and the use of agro-toxins with conventional use agro-industrial and/or corporate seed, to an agroecological system of production and the preservation of the environment in the short, medium and long-term, base on agro-biodiversity.
2.-Promote the production of seeds required to guarantee the national production, with the purpose of doing without importation [of seed] and achieving national sovereignty.
3.-Promote the transition to communal and ecosocialist agriculture, as well as protect agro-biodiversity through the production of local, peasant, indigenous, and Afro-descendant seed.
Read: Monsanto is not the only corporate giant that destroys our world, some of these are just as bad:
4.-Revalorize and re-legitimate the local, traditional, and ancestral knowledge, experiences, beliefs and practices of the peasants, indigenous and Afro-descendant other communities.
5.-Prohibit the privatization and monopolistic control of seed.
6.-Orient the organization and planning of public policy in function of the different scales of production, distinguishing policies directed at family agriculture from those of big producers.
This type of seed law could become a reality in other countries around the world, essentially ending the debate of GMO products at the source: their seeds. As more and more countries step up and put these types of laws into place, the GMO footprint is shrinking. It’s refreshing to see a country take such a bold move in the name of natural, GMO-free seeds.
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