A Study Shows That Boomers Are Indeed More Sensitive Than Millennials

Older folks like to treat younger generations like they’re soft – as if they get their feelings hurt over small slights and aren’t tough enough to walk uphill both ways to school in the snow – but the data coming out of a very long, thorough psychological study says that’s not at all true.

Basically, millennials (and GenX and GenZ) have one more reason to roll their eyes the next time an older person calls them a snowflake.

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The study, published in Psychology and Aging, investigated narcissistic behavior between generations using six data sets that followed almost 750 people born between 1923 and 1969. They found that the earlier in the 20th century someone was born, the more likely they were to display high levels of hypersensitivity.

Regardless of generation, the study also showed that people do tend to become less narcissistic as they age.

Lead author William Chopik released a statement saying,

“There’s a narrative in our culture that generations are getting more narcissistic, but no one has ever looked at it through generations or how it varies with age at the same time. One of the most surprising findings was that – also contrary to what many people think – individuals who were born earlier in the century started off with higher levels of hyper-sensitivity, or the type of narcissism where people are full of themselves, as well as willfulness, which is the tendency to impose opinions on others.”

In sum: there’s little to no evidence that the younger generations are “weaker” or less hardy than any that came before them.

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Levels of narcissism remain relatively stable across a person’s lifespan, though some aspects do wane with age: things like being full of yourself and trying to make others live according to your opinions.

On the other hand, having high aspirations for yourself increase as we age.

“There are things that happen in life that can shake people a little bit, and force them to adapt their narcissistic qualities. As you age, you form new relationships, have new experiences, start a family and so on. All of these factors make someone realize that it’s not ‘all about them,’” Chopik continued.

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And get this: younger generations (i.e. teenagers today) are more well-behaved than any other in recent history. They’re also eschewing alcohol, cigarettes (I’m guessing e-cigs weren’t counted?) and teen sex by way wider margins than previous recent generations.

There you go, my fellow snowflakes. I guess we’ll all just sit here and not melt together (as the Earth warms around us), because we’re tough like that.

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December 28, 2019

Postal Service Releases New Stamps Benefiting Veterans With PTSD

One thing that our divided nation can all get together to support is helping out our veterans. And even though the task may seem daunting to many of us, one easy way we can all help out is by purchasing these new stamps the United States Postal Service has put out to benefit military veterans suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sales of the stamps (which cost 65 cents and will cover the cost of a piece of first-class mail) will benefit the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which oversees the National Center for PTSD.

United States Postal Service releases new stamp benefiting veterans with PTSD https://t.co/4YhrJSNxBX pic.twitter.com/v5jMh7fooe

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 7, 2019

The photo of the plant sprouting from ground surrounded by dead leaves on the stamp was taken by Mark Laita. The USPS says the image on the stamp is meant to “symbolize the PTSD healing process, growth and hope.”

The USPS explained the motivation behind the stamp:

“With this semipostal stamp, the U.S. Postal Service will raise funds to help treat those impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tens of millions of Americans will experience PTSD in their lifetimes. Today, the nation is increasingly dedicated to compassionately treating this mental health issue.

Many kinds of trauma can lead people to experience persistent symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and difficulty sleeping. Depression, anxiety, and fear can also occur. Though these symptoms may initially interrupt one’s daily life, for most people they typically dissipate over time. However, if these problems continue for more than a month, PTSD may have developed.”

This veteran is educating his community about mental illness by opening up about his own journey with PTSD pic.twitter.com/MYhAffE3h0

— Tomthunkit (@TomthunkitsMind) December 26, 2019

Go to your local post office to pick up these stamps or you can order them online HERE. Your money will go to a great cause.

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10. Justice warriors.

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We hope you enjoyed those facts!

Have a great day!

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December 21, 2019

10 Interesting Facts to Get You Thinking

We’re almost at the end of the year, and it has been a loooooooong twelve months.

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Have a great day, happy holidays, and keep SMILING!

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December 20, 2019

This Is Why Some Siblings Stop Talking to Each Other Due to Family Rivalries

It might sound strange to some folks, but it’s actually not all that uncommon for siblings to become estranged. Reader’s Digest chronicled the story of Hope Rising, a woman who became estranged from her older sister because she grew tired of rude comments. The sisters didn’t speak for 14 years, and only got back in touch because of a serious cancer diagnosis.

Siblings stop communicating for many reasons. Some people eventually become aware that they dislike their sibling. Other times, family dynamics that began in childhood can turn into resentment later in life.

Dysfunction can worsen if there’s an inheritance on the line – or if an aging parent has needs, and siblings have differing opinions about the best ways to meet them.

Cornell University professor Karl Pillemer says that less than 5% of Americans are truly estranged from their siblings. That may seem like a low number, but that’s 1 in every 20 people.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Universities across the country have conducted research to attempt to understand the problem. Oakland University put out a survey that found that 16% of siblings reported having an antagonistic sibling relationship. 19% of those polled said their relationships with siblings were casual.

Remarkably, only 26% of people reported having a supportive relationship with their siblings.

When University of Pittsburgh psychologist Daniel Shaw, who conducts similar research on children’s sibling relationships, went on the radio to discuss his research, he ended up receiving many calls from people who wanted to talk about painful relationships with their siblings. He says,

“Something happened, and they never forgave each other, so now they were calling in … to talk about how they had decided to forgive or how they hadn’t spoken for 20 or 30 years.”

Sibling strife often occurs when people don’t learn how to resolve their conflicts. Or perhaps one sibling becomes obsessed with keeping tabs on the good deeds they do for their sibling, which can wear everyone down.

The key is to learn to manage conflicts and to be sincere about doing favors.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

And, yes, if it’s obvious that a certain sibling was the parents’ favorite, there likely will be problems later. But estrangement is often a cause of regret later in life, so learning to deal with these relationships is usually worthwhile for both parties.

What did you think of these psychological insights? We’ll be glad to read your comments!

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December 14, 2019

This Is Why Most Product Prices End in .99

You may notice that the price of nearly every product ends in a familiar number. Strangely, no matter if you’re looking at an expensive flat-screen TV or a can of tuna, the price tag almost always ends in .99.

If you are OCD like me, it can be incredibly irksome. After all, wouldn’t an even number like $5 be a lot more satisfying than $4.99?

Well, the secret behind this pricing strategy is actually pretty simple. It all comes down to one basic concept: psychology.

According to Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com, since we read from left to right, we pay less attention to the end of a number than we do the beginning. And let’s face it, if you’re quickly scanning a shelf for a bag of chips, the $4.99 bag does have more appeal than the $5 one, despite the minuscule difference.

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Psychological pricing can have a major effect on purchasing decisions, especially when shoppers are faced with multiple choices in the same category.

“Consumers don’t want to transcend a certain category, so even a penny less may make a huge psychological difference,” explained Subimal Chatterjee, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Marketing at Binghamton University School of Management.

From a business perspective, retailers can capitalize on the psychological pricing concept when it comes down to a change in the number of digits. For example, a product listed for $99.99 technically falls under the three-digit range even though it is essentially $100. Instead of losing a customer because of the three-digit price, a retailer can maximize profit by pricing a product at the top end of the lower range.

Prices often end in .99 ($4.99! $19.99!) & this paper shows why. When a price ends in .99 it seems 17 cents cheaper than it actually costs. Retailers lose 2% of profits by not using this trick more, because they think people are less gullible as they are! https://t.co/Gi3GT7ttuQ pic.twitter.com/THHIJyZr1q

— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) December 17, 2018

Author Mary Potter Kenyon explained, “We see $9.99 and think of it as priced for nine dollars and some cents, instead of rounding it up to ten dollars. We look at a price tag of $10 and we see it as ten dollars, rather than one penny more than the $9.99 price tag!”

For bargain shoppers, even-numbered prices are often available at places like thrift stores, mom-and-pop shops and farmers markets, but this has more to do with the nature of their inventory and the lack of pre-determined prices. No matter where you shop, make sure to consider the full price tag – don’t make the middle-school mistake of rounding to the first digit.

Your wallet will thank you later.

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December 14, 2019

Study Finds That Poorly Wrapped Gifts Make People Happier Than Perfect Ones

Are you stressed out about getting your gifts perfectly wrapped for the holidays? A new study says: don’t be.

Researchers at the University of Nevada found that poorly wrapped presents make people happier than perfectly wrapped ones. This is because, in part, perfect-looking presents look so great on the outside that whatever’s inside may not live up to expectations. If a gift looks sloppy, though, the recipient is likely to be pleasantly surprised by the actual gift. They also appreciate the effort that was made. The gratitude and surprise leaves them feeling happy and joyful.

Photo Credit: iStock

One of the study’s co-authors, Jessica Rixom, Ph.D., got her idea for the study from her time working at a chocolate shop. She explained,

“They offered a wrapping service, so I learned how to wrap very neatly with crisp edges, just the right amount of paper, etc. I started wrapping my own gifts that way and many years later, when wrapping presents with a friend, I noticed that all of the gifts in my pile were neat while all of theirs were messy, even though they were trying. This made us wonder whether the way the gift was wrapped would have any influence on how the gifts themselves were perceived and that’s how it started.”

The study tested what Rixom and the other researchers call “expectation disconfirmation theory.”

Photo Credit: iStock

“Based on participants’ answers to various questions, it suggested that the reason why this happens is because the neat wrapping sets higher expectations for the gift inside, which makes it harder for the gifts to live up to those expectations. When the gifts are unwrapped, the recipient is a bit disappointed whereas when it’s wrapped sloppily, expectations are lower so the gift is more of a pleasant surprise.”

So, don’t worry at all if your gifts look like they were wrapped by a five-year-old. It doesn’t take away from the power of the gift—it might even make it stronger.

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December 13, 2019

People Born in December Have Advantages over Others, Studies Show

We all like to to give a shout-out to the month we were born (February, what up!). But is there really any advantage to being born in one month as opposed to any of the others?

Surprisingly, studies point to YES. And I’m talking about multiple studies that suggest December is the best month in which to be born.

Let’s look at the evidence.

First, one study showed that babies born in December fall asleep faster and earlier than babies born during the summer months. Furthermore, another study suggested that December babies are more likely to be “morning people” than people born in any other month, and we all know that is a MAJOR life advantage.

Second, research shows that people born in December have a better chance to live to the age of 100. The study also showed that an impressive number of December-born folks actually lived to be 105 or older.

Studies also show that those born in the twelfth month of the year have lower rates of cardiovascular disease than those born in the other eleven months of the year.

What about the brains of December babies? Well, because they are usually the youngest in their classes, they often benefit academically. It can be hard being the smallest kid in the class when you’re younger, but think about how ahead of the curve you’ll be when you apply to colleges.

One more thing: if you’re worried about what kind of career your kiddo might have, consider this: people in December are the most likely to work as dentists, for some reason, which is definitely a good thing.

Now I’m kind of bummed I was born in February…thanks for nothing, Mom and Dad!

What month were you born? Share with us in the comments!

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December 12, 2019

These Great Facts Might Make Your Day a Little Bit More Interesting

I need some good brain food to get through the day sometimes.

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Have a great day, a great week, and a great month!

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