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Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Research from Wharton’s Matthew Killingsworth shows that contrary to previous influential work, there’s no dollar-value plateau at which money’s importance lessens. One potential reason: Higher earners feel an increased sense of control over life.
Most people break New Year’s resolutions within a few weeks. Neuroscientist Vera Ludwig offers six tips to move mindfully through this process, leading to a greater chance for success.
Experts from Penn’s Positive Psychology Center suggest tweaking traditions, acknowledging the situation’s highs and lows, and seeking help from people in your life.
Research from the Platt Labs found that in rhesus macaques, two regions of the brain mirror those of similar regions in humans, broadening the understanding of what unfolds, neurologically, when people interact and cooperate.
Monovision counters the deterioration of the ability to see up close but also causes dramatic visual distortions. New research confirms that a solution that successfully works with trial lenses—the special lenses used by eye doctors—also succeeds with contact lenses.
Her new Grit Lab course, part of the Paideia Program, teaches Penn undergrads how to develop more passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
The unusual circumstances brought on by COVID-19 forced Lana Prieur, a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences, to pivot her approach to research—and sparked new connections in the process.
The specialized field of neuroscience, optogenetics, shows clinical promise for conditions like epilepsy and Parkinson’s. But before human trials can get fully underway, the field must better understand a crucial intermediate step, aided by 45 labs in nine countries sharing information.
While HIV infection can be well-managed with proper care, suicidal thoughts and attempts remain a pressing concern. A recent study looks at what accounts for the elevated risk for suicide among people living with HIV.
Penn experts discuss the psychology behind decision-making, how anxiety and stress impacts behavior, and share strategies for deciding how to safely reengage with society.
Michele W. Berger
Senior Science News Officer
mwberger@upenn.edu
Thea Gallagher of the Perelman School of Medicine offered tips for overcoming fear of needles in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, starting with just making the appointment. "More doing and less thinking is an important way to overcome your fear," she said.
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Thea Gallagher of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the effects of exposure to violent media imagery. “You don’t have to be there,” she said. “You can still be traumatized by watching things, hearing about them.”
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Karen Reivich and James Pawelski of the School of Arts & Sciences offered tips for staying happy and resilient over the holidays, in spite of the pandemic.
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Nina Strohminger of the Wharton School commented on a study that explored how classroom discussions about ethics and meat consumption affected student meal-purchasing behaviors. “It's an awesome data set,” said Strohminger.
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Hummy Song of the Wharton School spoke about the merits of a dedicated-queue system in managing line lengths. “We usually think about queues from the customer’s point of view, but there is another human on the other end of that line,” she said. “Encouraging customer ownership by dedicating assignments to each server when planning queue configurations might shorten the wait and service time.”
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Charles “Chaz” L. Howard, vice president for social equity and community, and Michael Baime of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about finding empathy for President Trump. “The whole country is feeling more hatred and less kindness. This is a moment where we need to take stock, pause and think about what matters for ourselves and our whole country,” said Baime.
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