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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   Four-day week brings benefits Introducing a four-day working week is saving UK business millions, along with improving productivity and environmental performance, according to research from Henley Business School. Its ‘Four Better or Four Worse?’ white paper says half of UK businesses surveyed say they have enabled a four-day working week for some or all of their staff. They report improvements in employee satisfaction, reductions in employee absenteeism, and savings of almost £92 billion (around 2% of […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   It’s a dog’s world Could combining coaching with walking canine friends be the next hot thing? Given that coaching so very often follows in the footsteps of therapy, this is not such a far-fetched (fetch!) idea. We’re already seeing horses used in training and coaching while educational institutions and corporates are increasingly welcoming temperament-assessed ‘therapy’ dogs into their spaces to promote staff wellbeing. And a ground-breaking initiative which saw therapy dogs enter the UK’s Houses […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   Hot desk, cold beer Remote workers have been making the most of coffee shops’ free Wi-Fi and power outlets for some time. Now pubs are trying to attract professionals and their laptops too. BrewDog in the UK is promising limitless coffee, printers, pens, paper and a pint as part of its DeskDog initiative, which has the tagline, “Hot desk, cold beer.” Remote workers can book desk space at BrewDog pubs in London, Sheffield and Edinburgh, […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   Don’t bother rewinding Immediately re-watching lecture videos is a poor strategy for learning, just as is re-reading, suggests research published in Experimental Psychology. Re-reading is known to be a poor strategy as it’s too passive and lends itself to mind wandering – it’s better to test yourself on what you’ve read or explain it to yourself or someone else. And it’s the same with lecture videos, according to researcher Leonardo Martin and his team, in […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   Schadenfreude based on fear Deep-rooted fears around survival, including concerns about social identity and fairness, can lead us to see others as less than human and experience schadenfreude (joy at another’s pain), suggests research from Emory University in the US, published in New Ideas in Psychology. Drawing on evidence from three decades of social, developmental, personality and clinical research into schadenfreude, Shensheng Wang and colleagues propose a “tripartite motivational model” consisting of three sub-types of […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there   Give up your cake – and have it anyway There’s now a way to get something for yourself that someone else wants, yet still come across as generous, suggests research. Say, for example, you’ve spotted what seems to be the best seat, but there’s someone else around who’ll probably want it too. Instead of offering up that best seat, or grabbing it yourself, say something like, “Go ahead, choose your seat.” Eight studies reveal that […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there Sexual healing It’s time to stop ignoring sex in the context of wellbeing, say psychologists at George Mason University, who’ve discovered that engaging in sexual activity one day increases wellbeing the following day. Todd Kashdan and colleagues say sex is rarely included in theoretical models of wellbeing nor discussed in articles on the topic. The researchers set out to address this omission with a three-week diary study, examining associations between frequency and quality of sex, and […]

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there Let’s play happy families Our early environment has a long-standing impact on our self-esteem, finds research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Ulrich Orth at the University of Bern reports evidence that, on average, the better the quality of a person’s home environment between the ages of 0 and 6, meaning warm, responsive parenting; cognitive stimulation; and a safe, organised physical environment, the higher their self-esteem in adulthood. The data came from nearly […]

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IT’S A FUNNY OLD WORLD

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there What do you make of ’tat? Despite growing numbers of young people getting tattoos, having a ‘tat’ limits candidates’ career prospects, finds research. Almost a fifth of UK adults are currently estimated as having a tattoo. Yet 88% of recruiters and HR professionals considered that tattoos limited a candidate’s career prospects, while three-quarters said a person’s image played a significant part in the hiring process, according to a survey by LinkedIn. Around two-fifths admitted they’d rejected […]

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In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there Menopausal madness? The taboo around discussing the menopause at work is gradually being lifted, thanks to press coverage including a BBC Radio Sheffield and Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour week-long series looking at the impact the menopause is having on women’s lives, and the work of people such as leadership coach Deborah Price (http://bit.ly/2EftDXX). Mostly, the menopause is viewed in a negative light. However, it may be time to question our assumptions when exploring the menopause with […]

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