Random links
- The parental happiness curve
- "[A]ccording to the Survey of Marital Generosity, the happiest husbands and wives among today’s young couples are those with no children and those with four or more children. ... the Survey of Marital Generosity suggests that fathers and mothers of large families are partly happier because they find more meaning in life, receive more support from friends who share their faith, and have a stronger religious faith than their peers with smaller families."
- In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise
- "A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities. ... Dweck’s studies, embraced in Montgomery schools and elsewhere, have found that praising children for intelligence — “You’re so clever!” — also backfires. In study after study, children rewarded for being smart become more likely to shy away from hard assignments that might tarnish their star reputations. But children praised for trying hard or taking risks tend to enjoy challenges and find greater success."
- California’s $500K Earners Dwindle
- What might happen when you try to increase taxes on the rich? "Tax returns with adjusted gross incomes topping $500,000 fell to 98,610 in 2009, the latest year available, from a recent peak of 146,221 two years earlier ... California’s share of top-earners has dwindled even as their numbers climbed nationally" (How much of this might also be due to the economic downturn?)
- Why Women Don't Want Macho Men
- "New research suggests that women from countries with healthier populations prefer more feminine-looking men."