Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

How Weinsteins conviction could influence other sex crime prosecutions – PBS NewsHour

NEW YORK (AP) New York prosecutor sare hailing Harvey Weinsteins conviction as a pivotal moment that could change the way the legal system views a type of sexual assault case historically considered difficult to prove.

Most of the women who testified against Weinstein stayed in contact with him and sometimes had consensual sexual encounters with him after alleged attacks. None promptly reported his crimes. There was little physical evidence to bolster their stories.

The jury convicted anyway, finding the producer guilty of raping one woman in 2013 and sexually assaulting another in 2006.

This is a new day, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said after the verdict was announced. Rape is rape whether the survivor reports within an hour, within a year or perhaps never. Its rape despite the complicated dynamics of power and consent after an assault. Its rape even if there is no physical evidence.

But some womens advocates cautioned that its too soon to know how much the legal landscape has shifted.

This is not a signal that our systems and institutions are magically transformed, said Sonia Ossorio, the president of the National Organization for Womens New York chapter, who sat through most of the trial. This is one case, one man. Weve got to keep it in perspective.

If any case seemed to encapsulate the #MeToo reckoning with sexual misconduct, gender dynamics and power as a form of coercion, it was Weinsteins.

Dozens of women who crossed paths with Weinstein through the entertainment industry have said he bullied, pressured, coerced or overpowered them while demanding sexual favors. The alleged encounters took place over many decades, amid movie screenings in Los Angeles, film festivals in Cannes, and business meetings in New York or London.

The New York case involved only six accusers: three directly linked to the charges and three whose testimony was meant to bolster the prosecution case.

Weinsteins defense team argued that the encounters were consensual, if perhaps transactional: He wanted sex, they wanted access to his power over the film world.

While the law recognizes that people can be assaulted by intimate partners in ongoing relationships, those cases have rarely been prosecuted in the past, because theyre difficult to prove, several trial lawyers said. The tide is starting to change, however, as prosecutors take more risks and juries become more aware of the complexities of human behavior.

This case challenges our notions of what is force in a sexual relationship, what is lack of consent in a sexual relationship, said Paul DerOhannesian, an Albany, New York, defense lawyer, former sex crimes prosecutor and author of a guide to sexual assault trials. He followed the trial coverage and found it telling that one of the first questions from the jury involved the legal definition of consent and forcible compulsion.

Vance initially declined to prosecute Weinstein when a model claimed hed groped her in 2015. Facing criticism of the 2015 decision after waves of additional women came forward two years later, Vance ultimately took some of their allegations to trial.

One of the first witnesses at trial was an expert on victim behavior, who testified that it isnt unusual for sexual assault victims to continue communicating with their attackers. A decade ago, that type of expert testimony was rarely allowed.

WATCH: What Weinstein verdict means for the MeToo movement

The jury ultimately acquitted Weinstein of two of the most serious counts: one of first-degree rape, and a second charge that he was a sexual predator, linked to the testimony of actress Annabella Sciorra, who said Weinstein barged into her apartment and raped her in the early 1990s.

But Weinstein, 67, still faces the possibility of up to 29 years in prison. Hes also facing separate charges in Los Angeles involving two more alleged sexual assault victims.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sex crimes unless they grant permission, as Sciorra did.

Criminal defense attorney Richard Kaplan said the New York case could both empower women to come forward and embolden prosecutors to take on tough cases.

Now there is a roadmap on how you can win this kind of case, he said, predicting more people would come forward.

Theres always the fear of coming forward, you know, going through a trial, getting beat up and humiliated and then not getting that verdict. Now that they see it can be done, I think more people will come forward and definitely empower the movement.

Lawyer Carrie Goldberg represents Weinstein accuser Lucia Evans, whose complaint against him was initially part of the indictment, but Vances office ultimately dropped her allegations from the case. While Goldberg faults Vance for not sticking with her client, she said the conviction is a watershed moment and a long time coming.

I hope that prosecutors, all over this country, and all over the world, look at this case and realize that rape trials can be won, Goldberg said, and that these arent just he said, she said stories, but theyre actually crimes that are winnable and need to be brought.

Dale reported from Philadelphia.

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How Weinsteins conviction could influence other sex crime prosecutions - PBS NewsHour

Human Behavior

Better rat control in cities starts by changing human behavior – The Conversation US

For centuries, rats have thrived in cities because of human behavior. In response, humans have blamed the rats and developed techniques for poisoning them.

We research urban rat populations and recognize that rats spread disease. But they are fascinating creatures that think, feel and show a high level of intelligence. Public concerns about rat poison harming wildlife are growing a trend that we believe could eventually lead to rodenticide bans in many parts of the world. Without poison as an option, humans will need other rat control methods.

Rats many negative traits are well known. They are among the most detrimental invasive animals in cities. Urban rats are like disease sponges, congregating in the foulest reaches, where they pick up harmful pathogens. They carry the antibiotic-resistent MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius). Inside the rat gut, MRSA can interact with other diseases like ingredients in a mixing bowl, creating newer bugs that can be transported from septic systems into homes.

But common approaches to managing rats often fail to address the most important factor contributing to infestations: humans and the prolific quantities of food that they waste. The more research we do on rats in New York City and worldwide, the more we realize that rat behaviors contribute less to infestations than do humans.

On Jan. 4, 2020, Malibu, California banned rodenticides due to their harmful effects on nontarget wildlife, such as mountain lions. This came after the California Assembly passed a bill to ban rodenticides statewide; the measure died in the State Senate, but could reappear this year.

If curbs on use of rat poison start to spread, communities will need other ways to manage infestations. Rats cost the worlds economy billions of dollars yearly, mostly from contaminating food in warehouses, restaurants and home kitchens. The costs of illnesses vectored by rats are unknown because medical providers treat many sicknesses without knowing what caused them. As human populations become increasingly clustered in cities, these effects could increase.

Meanwhile, climate change is shortening winter seasons that limit rat reproduction. Globalization, climate change and inability to use rodenticides could result in a perfect storm of vulnerability to rodents on a scale humans have not experienced since the Middle Ages.

Research shows that to address this problem effectively, people must start by understanding the ecology of wild rodents. Rats adapt to human food sources and reproduce at remarkable rates. If enough food is present, a single Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) can give birth to up to 12 pups in a litter. And each well-fed pup could give birth to 12 pups of its own in as few as six weeks.

We believe the key to controlling rats is appreciating a key point: Because rats have short life spans of one to two years and reproduce often, they adapt quickly to changing environments. In our view, until people change their behavior, they may fail at controlling rat numbers.

Current mechanisms for rat control are more reactive than proactive. Urban hygiene has become big business for exterminators, but does little to control rat populations.

A typical approach is to take action once rodent populations are high enough that their presence cannot be ignored. But rats are mostly nocturnal, small and elusive, so they typically are noticed only after their numbers are already high.

This reactive approach makes any control measures excluding rats from buildings and feeding sites, setting poison baits, introducing predators, asphyxiating them with dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) or treating them with immuno-contraceptives comparable to putting a bandage on a cancer.

In our lab, we study the scents that rats prefer. As nocturnal animals, rats have poor vision and rely on olfaction to identify potential mates, habitats and food sources.

Rats dietary habits are predictable. In Brooklyn, New York, they eat pizza, bagels and beer. In Paris they consume croissants, butter and cheese. Whatever local tastes people prefer, rats eat. Interrupt the continuous food supply and the rat population will drop.

Many city dwellers eat when they are busy, stuck in traffic or otherwise on the run. They drop wastes, such as grease-soaked napkins and hot dog buns, onto streets, playgrounds and subway tracks. Even highly conscientious people may hastily toss uneaten food and wrappers onto the top of an overflowing rubbish bin when they are stressed for time.

People who are working and caring for families do not take time to think about what unseen rats are doing. But our research convinces us that society can learn to stop feeding rats inadvertently. Pest management professionals, academics, policymakers and citizens can all help advance this goal, because people can radically change the ways in which they handle and dispose of food.

We believe that giving people incentives to create sanitary environments is an effective and socially progressive strategy. Here is one example: Because so much of the rat problem in New York City is driven by curbside garbage sitting outdoors overnight, we suggest hiring unemployed or homeless individuals as evening sentinels. They would move garbage bags from the curbside into guarded common areas and then return them to the curb for early morning collections.

Some cities could establish citizen rat patrols that would train residents to identify and notify property owners when they detect that rats are present. The typical indicators are barely noticeable openings appearing around buildings, or dark grease stains on sidewalks, parks or undeveloped lots. This approach eliminates the social stigma often associated with rats by showing people how to take proactive steps before an infestation develops.

Rats cause very expensive problems, but they also are surprisingly engaging animals that exhibit human-like qualities, such as remorse and empathy. Scientists have trained them to drive tiny cars. As evidence that rats are thinking, feeling beings accumulates, we expect that it could make many communities more reluctant to poison them.

In our view, since rats are deeply rooted in human society, people need to understand how their own actions encourage rat behavior. We want to encourage brainstorming about this issue and help identify the most promising ways to manage urban rat problems effectively and humanely.

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Better rat control in cities starts by changing human behavior - The Conversation US

Human Behavior

Why it’s okay to show anger at work – Fast Company

Nobody likes being angry, but at the same time, no one manages to avoid it.

Anger has been a topic of psychological research for over a century. It played a central role in Charles Darwins development of evolutionary theory, in which he argued that just like any other pervasive animal or human behavior, there has to be a benefit to anger, or it wouldnt be expressed so frequently. He noted that one of the key functions of anger is displaying intimidating and aggressive emotional signals to others, to protect or gain power.

More recently, psychologists have outlined and measured many varieties of anger, such as suspicion, irritability, dissent, and various [other] indirect forms, and its role and consequences at work. This has helped with the development of effective interventions to combat anger.

Unsurprisingly, research has linked anger to a wide range of negative and undesirable outcomes, such as assault, violence, and heart attacks. Clearly, anger is a powerful stress agent, and its workplace implications justify every attempt to contain it.

Exposure to angerincluding playing violent video games, such as Angry Birdsappears to nurture angry tendencies. But there is much more evidence for the idea that anger is more deeply rooted in peoples personalities, shaped more by their biology than specific environmental factors. Likewise, many organizational factors such as complex interpersonal relationships, financial pressure, high stakes, and factors beyond peoples control, have been known to trigger workplace anger.

That said, there is also a brighter side to anger, which is rarely discussed. For instance, at work, angry reactions to incompetence or unethical behaviors are more likely to motivate a proactive response to inhibit such problems as opposed to complacency or indifference. Seeing or experiencing unfairness, inequity, or injustice at work should make us angry. We depend on that anger to replace the status quo with a more just and moral state of affairs. For example, anger is a better reaction to an abusive boss or supervisor than contempt.

In that sense, anger is no different from other emotions, such as guilt, sadness, or shame, in that it helps us assess and react to a situation, directing our thoughts and behaviors toward a relevant goal. Employees will often experience anger out of frustration when they fail to accomplish a goal or are irritated by colleagues. While thats not pleasant, it is still necessary to prepare an adaptive or functional response. The key is to react in an emotionally intelligent, rather than self-defeating or self-destructive, way.

A more controversial benefit of anger is its ability to propel people to leadership roles. Although we should have more leaders with higher levels of emotional intelligencewhich, in essence, is an anger-control traitmany individuals, particularly men, are regarded as more leader-like (tough, assertive, aggressive, and strong) when they showcase anger. As I argue in my latest book, Why do so many incompetent men become leaders (and how to fix it)? this is one of the reasons for the surplus of incompetent men in leadership positions. Indeed, many kind, calm, and empathetic men are overlooked for leadership roles because they dont fit the archetype of the strong macho leader. But make no mistake: Anger can be a strong status-enhancing emotion, and this is one of its biggest upsides if you are an angry male. It speaks to our chimpanzee heritage.

Anger is also an effective weapon for persuasion, as anyone who follows politics will have noticed. For all the concerns about combative and divisive political leaders, they may just be serving as vessels for the anger of the masses. Research shows that anger effectively augments the expression of moral outrage to drive social change. Ultimately, those who dont approve are more likely to disagree with the direction of change, or its underlying beliefs, than the way it occurs.

Finally, studies also show that suppressed and repressed anger is often more painful than their expressed form. In the words of Mark Twain, Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. If one is agnostic to the values and visions these angryand so often charismaticpoliticians espouse (and its a big if), we can see how instrumental and adaptive anger can be to establish an emotional connection between the leader and the masses. Needless to say, this makes many people angry.

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Why it's okay to show anger at work - Fast Company

Human Behavior

I Kept Talking to My Rapists – The Atlantic

I also didnt physically resist Mark. I also felt like an idiot. I also felt numb. I also then wondered whether Marks actions counted as sexual assault. Then, in my 20s, I was raped by a co-worker, someone I also considered a friend. Pretending it never happened allowed me to return to the office the next day. Seeing this co-worker afterward, I felt some brief sense of control. If I could work with this man, then surely I could get past the rape.

After Weinstein allegedly raped Mann, she testified that she entered into what I thought was going to be a real relationship with himand it was extremely degrading from that point on. Weinsteins attorneys pointed to this as further proof that he couldnt have possibly raped her. Dating her attacker may give a survivor some sense of power. If youve ever laughed despite feeling profound grief, then you understand that sometimes our actions and feelings dont predictably align.

After 14 years of silence between Mark and me, I interviewed him for a book I was writing. Talking with him again all these years latershaping the narrativewas my way of taking control. He explained he knew that what he was doing that night was wrong while he was doing it, but he did it anyway. It was a huge betrayal, he said. Ive felt terrible about it for however many years now. I have to admit I was really surprised to hear from you. I kind of assumed I never would again.

Even all these years later, I tried to accommodate him. While transcribing the audio of our conversations, I noticed that I often handed the power back to him, telling him, So this is how I remember the event, but correct me if you have a different memory. Early in our conversation, I even comforted him, saying, I hope you know that I dont hate you, or anything like that, I hope its in some way helpful for you to know that I genuinely believe youre a good guy, and I hope this is somewhat helpful for you to talk about.

When I pointed this out to Mark on a later call, we both laughed at how deferential I could be. Its embarrassing, I told him. I didnt know I did it that much. He called it endearing. I called it absurd. He and I sometimes even slipped into reminiscing about high school, as if the rape had never happened. It wasnt hard to pretend that everything was okay. I had spent years trying to avoid thinking about what he did.

Read: Bad hookup, or sexual assault? Sometimes the friends decide.

At Weinsteins trial, I wasnt surprised that his defense attorneys relied on these stereotypes about how women should react to an assault. But I did wonder whether his attorneys either had a low-grade understanding of human behavior or figured the jury did. Did they not know? Or did they know, but not care? Maybe they cared but told themselves they were just doing their job, protecting the sanctity of due process. And then I heard his lawyer Donna Rotunno on The New York Times podcast The Daily. Megan Twohey, one of the Times journalists who broke the story about Weinsteins pattern of abuse, interviewed Rotunno six days after the trial started.

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I Kept Talking to My Rapists - The Atlantic

Human Behavior

Justin Kaufmann Show 2-24-20: Conductors back on the CTA, how to pronounce Paczki and the future of GarPax – WGN Radio – Chicago

The Justin Kaufmann Show for Monday, 2.24.20: Streetsblog Chicagoeditor and Chicago Reader columnistJohn Greenfield talks about ways the CTA is working on reducing crime on busses and trains, the CTA taking a step to modernizing buses and the future of transportation. Kevin Green, Vice President at Rare and head of the Center for Behavior & the Environment discusses the impact that human behavior has on climate change and what we need to do to combat it. Kevin will be part of an expert panel at tomorrows Critical Conversation Series at the Spertus Institute that will feature activists and experts debating how we need to address climate change. How to Speak Midwestern Author Ted McClelland is back for another edition of The Chicago Accent Challenge. In you best Chicago accent, pronounce the word Pczki. Sports reporter and betting analyst Sam Panayotovich breaks down a busy week in sports including the Chicago Blackhawks making a couple of deals at the trade deadline, the start of spring training baseball, the MLB cheating scandal and the futures of Gar Forman and John Paxson. Justin also recaps his trip to New York City that included a trip to Electric Lady Studios.

This is the podcast for The Justin Kaufmann Show. The show originates from Chicago on WGN Radio and features newsmakers, tastemakers and trailblazers. Hosted by award-winning broadcaster Justin Kaufmann, this talk show/audio magazine goes in-depth to help you better understand the city (and world) that you live in.

Filed in: Justin Kaufmann

Topics: Chicago Accent Challenge, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Climate Change, crime, CTA, gar forman, John Greenfield, john paxson, Kevin Green, public transportation, Sam Panayotovich, Spertus Institute, Ted McClelland

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Justin Kaufmann Show 2-24-20: Conductors back on the CTA, how to pronounce Paczki and the future of GarPax - WGN Radio - Chicago

Human Behavior

You May Feel More Focused with Your Phone Nearby – Nextgov

Keeping your phone nearby but not using it may give you a bump in perceived concentration, according to new research.

Researchers recruited 125 participants for the study, whom they assigned to one of three groups and then directed to sit alone in an empty room for six minutes, though they didnt tell participants the duration.

Heres how researchers divided up the groups:

Researchers used a fingertip device to measure skin conductance, an indicator of arousal. They used post-study questionnaires to measure participants level of enjoyment, concentration difficulty,mind wandering, and general mood.

The researchers found that participants without their phones had more difficulty concentrating and more mind wandering compared to those who used their phone. And those who had to resist using their phone had greater perceived concentration abilities than those who sat without their phone.

The surprising finding for me was the reduction in concentration difficulty when people had to resist using the phone, says Dave Markowitz, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.

Markowitzis interested in understanding the psychology of communication behavior, including language patterns and howmediaaffects social and physical processes. As part of his doctoral thesis at Stanford University, he devised a study examining how subjects responded when exercising self-control with their phones.

One possible reason that resisting the phone led to perceived improvement concentration? Most people think phones are valuable and seeing it front of them, even though they could not use it, offered something to think about compared to sitting without their phone, he says.

At least having it front of you was psychologically better than not having it all, he says. Having some form of external stimulation, even if it wasnt used, I think that can focus the mind a bit.

It suggests having the phone present is better than not, but whats not clear is whether the phone is special, or if the participants would have reacted the same way with a book in front of them that they werent allowed to read or pick up, he says.

Markowitzs findings fit with research by Tim Wilson at the University of Virginia, who found that when people were given time for just thinking, they experience psychological consequencesless enjoyment, more difficulty concentrating, more mind wanderingcompared to if they had some form of external stimulation.

The mind can wander and lose focus when youre not given a thinking aid, which can be less psychologically positive for people, he says.

The study also fits in a framework of trying to understand if technology, or media in general, are mirrors or modifiers of human behavior, Markowitz says.

If technology is a mirror, then mediated experiences reflect how people also act offline. If technology is a modifier, then in some cases its changing the way we behave, think and feel in the world, he says.

Thats still really an open question, he says. There are some cases where mediated and nonmediated experiences show consistencies in behavior, but other cases where mediation plays a crucial, modifying role. Im interested in exploring these boundaries.

The study appears inPLOS ONE.

This article was originally published in Futurity. It has been republished under the Attribution 4.0 International license.

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You May Feel More Focused with Your Phone Nearby - Nextgov

Human Behavior

New psychology research uncovers the most unforgivable forms of infidelity – PsyPost

A new study published in Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology sheds light on the types of infidelity which people consider to be the most severe and unforgivable.

Infidelity triggered my attention because is a fascinating phenomenon, found in high prevalence across different cultures, said study author Menelaos Apostolou, an associate professor at the University of Nicosia.

The researchers asked 447 individuals from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus to indicate their reactions to different scenarios of infidelity. Of the entire sample, 35.8% were married, 31.5% were single, 26% were in a relationship, 6.3% were divorced, and 0.4% were widowed.

Having an emotional and sexual relationship with somebody else was rated the most severe and the least forgivable act of infidelity. Using online services such as live sex shows and going to a strip club, on the other hand, were considered the least severe and most forgivable acts.

In the middle, from least to most forgivable, were having a one night stand, having an emotional relationship with someone else, having feelings for someone else, and paying someone for sex.

Our findings indicated that sexual infidelity was associated with more negative reactions and a lower probability of being forgiven than emotional infidelity. One reason is that sexual infidelity may lead to pregnancy and, thus, potentially have more severe negative consequences than emotional infidelity, the researchers wrote.

Not all acts of infidelity are the same. More severe acts are more likely to trigger a severe reaction and are less likely to be forgiven. So for instance, if your wife finds out that you go to a strip club she will be less upset and more likely to forgive you than if she finds out that you have another girlfriend, Apostolou told PsyPost.

The researchers also found that participants who were older and who had experienced infidelity in the past were more willing to forgive compared to those who were younger and who did not have such past experience.

Apostolou and his colleagues also found that women indicated more severe reactions to infidelity than men, but women were also more willing to forgive their partners. One possible reason why is that women are more emotionally involved in a relationship than men, which in turn, makes them more likely to forgive their partners, the researchers said.

Infidelity is a complex phenomenon for which there are many things we do not know, Apostolou said. One caveat of the current study is that people responded in hypothetical scenarios, and so they may act differently if these scenarios actually materialize. One way for future research to address this limitation is to examine actual cases of infidelity and the responses of the parties involved.

The study, Reactions to and Forgiveness of Infidelity: Exploring Severity, Length of Relationship, Sex, and Previous Experience Effects, was authored by Menelaos Apostolou, Anna Aristidou, and Christina Eraclide.

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New psychology research uncovers the most unforgivable forms of infidelity - PsyPost

Human Behavior

Q&A on the Book Surrounded by Idiots – InfoQ.com

Key Takeaways

The book Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson provides a method for assessing behaviors of people we communicate with. This method can help to increase our understanding of how people communicate and to better communicate and collaborate with people. It will also give you a better self awareness.

InfoQ readers can download an extract of Surrounded by Idiots.

InfoQ interviewed Thomas Erikson about what drives our behavior, how people can wear different masks, the DISA/DISC method, how people from different colors behave and the communication problems that can happen, setting up diverse teams, and how leaders can deal effectively with people of different colors.

InfoQ: What made you decide to write this book?

Thomas Erikson: I had written crime novels about a management consultant and behaviorist, Alex King. He helped the police in putting crooks away by using a behavioral assessment tool based on four colors: red, yellow, green and blue. While the readers seemed to appreciate the stories, many asked me: the tool Mr King uses in the books looks interesting. Where can I learn more about that?

As a consultant myself, I had used the DISA/DISC-method for years. But at the time, I didnt know of any books on the topic, so I decided to write one myself. That book turned into Surrounded by Idiots. And for some reason the readers seem to appreciate it quite a lot.

When I did research for the book, I found that Robert Morris University had estimated that approximately 50 million behavior assessment analyses based on the DISA/DISC tool had been conducted all over the world. You can find them in 100 countries and in about 50 languages. Quite a lot of people have and will continue to come in contact with them. So, I thought it might be good consumer information. And the interest was clearly there.

The main value the book brings is the insight that the best team is the team that can co-operate, which requires effective communication. You will be a good communicator if you have strong social skills. For me, social skills are about understanding how your own actions affect the actions of others. So you need to understand yourself. Social skills are therefore built on self-awareness. When organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich did a study on self-awareness, she found that even if 95 % of us think we have good self-awareness, only 10 15 % really do. Here there obviously is a huge potential.

InfoQ: For whom is the book intended?

Erikson: For those who are interested in themselves and those who occasionally might think they are surrounded by idiots. It is a book about different behaviors and a variety of communication styles, and I have tried to use examples both from work situations and from peoples personal life. We communicate all the time, so I think it is useful for anyone who thinks their communication could improve. It is so easy to always use yourself as a reference point, but the sad news is, regardless of how fantastic you are, you will always be in the minority.

One important point: the book is not written in a scientific way. I have deliberately used an easy-to-read approach, as I want as many as possible to regard the message in the book. But afterwards read another book. And another. Attend a seminar; do a training on the topic. You can never be competent enough when it comes to human behavior.

InfoQ: What drives our behavior?

Erikson: Our behavior comes from our personalities, which are formed from a combination of heritage and environment. We get, of course, a lot from our parents, but probably less than 50 %. The rest mostly comes from how we grew up, how they raised us, where in the line of siblings we are, our first years in school, and so on.

Interestingly enough, when we reach 24-25 years of age, we tend to not develop our personalities very much anymore. Psychologists debate why that is, but apparently, we get more fixed the older we get. That is not the same as saying no development takes place. But it gets harder every year. The one who likes to evolve throughout their life has be on his toes to make it happen.

InfoQ: You mentioned in the book that people can wear different masks. How does this work, and what effect can it have?

Erikson: You basically have two different behavioral styles. The natural one, a.k.a the true you, is when you are wearing no mask. Then you have the adapted style, which usually is what you show at work. Your adapted style is based on your own interpretation of how you should act to fit in a specific environment. That is what I call a mask. But, many of us have other masks too. Another mask can show up when celebrating Christmas with our spouses relatives, for instance. But underneath the surface, there is always the true you.

The challenge here is to be able to be as much of yourself as you can so you do not have to wear a mask. Even though it sounds like a clich, it will always be best to be you. If you adapt too much and too long to people around you, it will violate your true personality. That might give you physical stress reactions. It can in the long run actually make you sick.

InfoQ: What does the DISA/DISC system look like?

Erikson: It is based on extroversion vs. introversion and task orientation vs. people orientation. This gives us four main ingredients in an individuals behavior style. Red for dominance, yellow for inspiration, green for stability and blue for analytical behavior.

Whats important to have in mind is that the DISC tool describes behaviors and not personalities.

Reds are very goal-oriented and competitive. Achieving results is their number one game. They have no problem with telling the truth. Some people might describe them as bullish or even aggressive.

Yellows are open, happy, positive, and see opportunities where others see problems. They enjoy life and are always looking for a good time. Others might see them as too talkative and as not taking things seriously.

Greens are friendly, calm, caring and sharing. The best listeners! They will always take care of others and strive for good team co-operation. Others, mostly reds and yellows, see them as imprecise, dishonest and too conflict-avert.

And the blues are detail-oriented, and need a lot of facts and proof in dealing with basically any topic. They strive for perfection and high quality in everything. Some people consider them way too dry and stone-faced, always stuck in their excel sheets.

Statistically only five per cent of the population shows just one color. The most common is two. Close to 80 per cent of the population in the industrialized world shows two colors.

InfoQ: How do people with red behavior act when something needs to be decided on?

Erikson: Quick and decisive. They dont hesitate much. Pedal to the medal. That is how it should be done! And then they start to run. Other people might actually have some difficulties keeping up with them. In a team, there is the obvious risk of the reds leaving the others behind, which, of course, is not a good way to co-operate.

InfoQ: How do people with yellow behavior inspire people?

Erikson: With charm and a friendly smile. These people are excellent communicators and will make everybody feel fantastic. And the rest of us gather around them, because they have a certain kind of attractive energy about them. They are excellent at talking the talk, but are maybe not as good at walking the talk.

InfoQ: How do people with green behavior respond to problems or conflicts?

Erikson: Theyd prefer to hide in a corner, to be honest. Conflicts are for troublemakers. Greens dont like that at all. They will pretend they didnt see or hear anything. Their way of saying "yes" while meaning "no" poses a bit of a challenge for people around them.

InfoQ: How do people with blue behavior prepare and perform activities?

Erikson: Thoroughly and with much focus on details and the invisible risks that might or might not be in there somewhere. Control of the process is the priority. There is a clear risk that they will never leave the starting blocks, because they have to check things over again. And again.

InfoQ: What communication problems can occur between people from different colors? How should the be dealt with?

Erikson: Extroverts, meaning reds and yellows, clearly understand each other pretty well. The same goes for introverts, greens and blues. The two sides represent different kinds of energy.

The biggest challenges are when you combine the opposites. Reds are task-oriented and extroverted, which is a huge challenge for greens, who are people-oriented and introverted. The reds will run them down, if there is no adaption. And the greens will close their fist in their pocket, and will never forget any injustices. Reds consider greens much too slow and soft, and greens might see reds as cold-hearted dictators. They have to meet somewhere in the middle. The reds have to slow down and consider that the greens are relation-oriented, and the greens have to speed up a bit and realize that the reds are not relation-oriented.

The biggest challenge though, is between blues and yellows. The blues are introverted and task-oriented, and are very much into details and fact. Stone-faced, they refer to their Excel graphs. They also have a historical time frame. But the yellows, they do everything by gut feeling; they loathe details but love anecdotes and having a good time. When these two try to work together, an interesting friction will occur Blues will find yellow as just talk and no walk, not to be trusted at all as they cant even find their papers. And yellows think the blues are emotionless robots with no imagination what so ever.

These two characters also have to make an effort in the others direction. The blues just have to understand how a yellow individual is wired, and speed up, use a more vivid body language and allow the other person to talk about her or himself for a little bit. And the yellow individual has to slow down a bit and check the details and facts before rushing into a meeting with the blue. And show a lot of patience. And not interrupt. And not give detailed information about how he or she is feeling exactly in this moment

InfoQ: What's your advice for setting up diverse teams with people of different colors?

Erikson: Every efficient organization needs different behavior and communication styles in order to view a situation from every possible angle. Thats a no-brainer. Different people, obviously, see things from different perspectives. We know this; theres nothing new here, but we tend to forget about it in the heat of the moment. When we have different kinds of colors or behaviors in the room, we will always get a variety of points of view. The management wont have to ask for it; it just comes naturally.

But and this is crucial the leader of the team must have the competence to deal with all these differences. How the group is led will be the key to success.

InfoQ: How can leaders deal effectively with people of different colors?

Erikson: Leadership is a communication process, and efficient communication is based on strong social skills. The more a leader understands about him or herself and their co-workers, the better the leadership.

Adapting to each color is basically the same for everyone: speed things up with the reds, but be able to set some boundaries; inspire the yellows while also following them closely so they wont forget tasks; be friendly and supportive of the greens, but dont let them get away because things become a bit unpleasant; and act in a fact-based and controlled way with the blues even though you have to speed them up a bit to reach goals in time.

In my opinion, the leader has the bigger responsibility to make it work. The best place I would suggest to is to gain a very strong self-awareness; the best leaders have the most self-awareness. The most efficient way to interact with the team is to understand how they perceive you, and that way you know what adaption might work with which individual.

Thomas Erikson is an expert on communication from a leadership perspective. He has trained more than five thousand executives in leadership skills. Erikson has written several popular science books on communication and human behavior. Surrounded by Idiots is a best-selling non-fiction book with over 1,5 million copies in print in more than 40 languages. Surrounded by Psychopaths will be released in the fall of 2020.

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Q&A on the Book Surrounded by Idiots - InfoQ.com

Human Behavior

Is Reading an Effective Stress Eliminator? – Thrive Global

Were all victims of any type of stress. Being stressed makes us susceptible to a plethora of stress-related illnesses. Stresss staggering effects contribute to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and depression among others.

And we all know that we live in a world full of stress. From pressures during the job, sometimes issues in our home, and even to something seemingly mundane, like social media stress. We are so consumed in whats happening around us, trying in vain to be in a million places at once.

We all need a break.

Taking time off for ourselves is very important. And while some of us may choose to splurge on a grandiose vacation to destress, sometimes theres no need to look far and wide for a stress eliminator.

Sometimes you just need to turn your technology off and browse through your bookshelf, or take a trip to the public library in town.

Do we still have room in our hearts for reading?

Not like the usual skimming-through-influencers-posts type of reading. But actual immersive reading the kind where you absorb and learn new things, and the kind that lets you lose yourself in a fictional world woven between the pages of a loved book.

Studies throughout the years have revealed that reading contributes to your well-being. And yes, it can eliminate stress.

We read every day, but how often do we sit down and read for our own pleasure?

Reading, particularly fictional books, fully engage the mind and exercise the readers imagination. Any activity that has meditative qualities and requires the brains full focus on a single task has been proven to reduce stress and improve relaxation. Its more than just a distraction.

Words on the page stimulate creativity and usher you to enter what can be referred to as an altered state of consciousness.

Beyond reducing and eliminating anxiety and stress, studies have also linked reading to good brain health in old age. Individuals whove regularly read all throughout their life showed increased mental capacity as they age.

By contrast, individuals who read less frequently throughout their lives experience a mental decline rate thats 48% quicker than those whove kept their brains active all their lives.

Reading contributes to an individual becoming more empathetic too. It also increases self-awareness. Once again, reading fiction in particular increases an individuals understanding of others. It paves the way for improved relationships.

As a reader becomes engrossed in the storyline, they begin to empathize with characters and their plights. They uncover one characters motivations while defining anothers behavioral patterns.

This contributes plenty to a persons understanding of human behavior. And that sort of knowledge is what one can carry over to life outside of the fictional novel.

Reading is a wonderful and healthy escape from the stress that plagues everyday life. Through simply opening a book, you invite yourself into a literary world that takes you away from thoughts of daily stressors. Plus, you get to engage in self-improvement too, as reading abilities go a long way in boosting your self-confidence.

It only takes as small as six minutes a day to make a difference and see how well reading can help you. And before you know it, youre having trouble putting the book down.

Yes, forming habits are challenging. But putting effort into a habit (and a hobby) that can improve your quality of life is truly worth investing in.

Studies conducted over the years prove that reading is a great stress eliminator, on top of being an instrument for exercising your brain. Reading is a powerhouse of leisure activity. So grab a favorite book, or an educational magazine, and start your own reading journey.

Its well worth your time.

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Is Reading an Effective Stress Eliminator? - Thrive Global

Human Behavior

Portraying the life and times of Mark Twain – Reporter Online

Photo by Kelly White

Sharing the life and history of Mark Twain from a first-person portrayal was Terrance Lynch during an appearance at the Green Hills Public Library in Palos Hills on Feb. 7. He presented a program called, Between Two Comets: The Life of Mark Twain.

By Kelly White

American novelist Mark Twain penned some of the most beloved and controversial literature of the 19th century.

He captured his audience with humorous stories of boyhood adventure and the faults of mankind, and the roots of human behavior.

Sharing the life and history of Mark Twain from a first-person portrayal was Terrance Lynch at the Green Hills Public Library, 10331 S. Interlochen Drive, Palos Hills, on Feb. 7. The program was entitled, Between Two Comets: The Life of Mark Twain.

My favorite part of portraying Twain is the ease of making people laugh by simply quoting him, said Lynch, of Orland Park. He was such a humorist that I don't need to write a comedy into my presentation. He has already done that for me.

Lynch, who studied theater at Northern Illinois University, is a professional voice-over artist, actor and speaker in the Chicago area for more than 30 years. He is the co-owner of HFK Presents and Histories for Kids, Inc.

Lynchs interest in Twain started by asking clients if they would be interested in seeing him portray Twain. With a positive response, Lynch then began to look into fleshing out Twains life story.

I knew it would be interesting but I wanted to make sure I wasn't just re-telling the same old stories and quotes, Lynch said. With Mark Twain there is so much to talk about that I was sure I would be able to present him in a way that audiences would enjoy.

Twain lived his life between the Halleys Comet appearances of 1835 and 1910.

The significanceof his living between two comets comes from Twain himself, Lynch said. He marked his life by the appearance the year he was born and later in life said he came in with that freak of nature and he will leave with that freak of nature when it appears again. He did just that, dying shortly after the return of Haley's Comet, something I no doubt think he enjoyed predicting. It showed not only his sense of humor but his enjoyment of working his audience.

Mark Twain was born just after Halleys Comet appeared in 1835, and he passed awayone day after it emerged at its brightest in 1910, said Brittany Ramos, adult programming and graphics coordinator at the Green Hills Public Library. As most people know, Halley's Comet is onlyvisible from Earth every 75 to 76 years.Twain even predicted leaving the world with the comet. I like weirdcoincidencesand I can't recall rememberingthis fact until I started planning this event. I love to showcaseportrayals of famous figures. Bringing history to life is so cool and we're lucky to have such a rich history to learn from.

Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on Nov. 30, 1835 in the frontier village of Florida, Mo., and spent his youth in nearby Hannibal, on the banks of the Mississippi River. He was only 11 years old when his father died and made the decision to begin working to help provide for his family.

He left school after only the fifth grade to help his family, Lynch said.

After many years of working as a wandering journeyman printer, at the age of 22, Twain traveled down the Mississippi River. He became a steamboat river pilot until the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1861, he traveled to Nevada and found work in the world of newspapers. His love of writing led him to write a short story,The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,in 1865, which first brought him national attention.

His pen name, Mark Twain, came from a Mississippi River term meaning the secondmarkon the line that measured depth signified two fathoms, or 12 feet, a safe depth for the steamboat, otherwise known as smooth sailing, Lynch explained.

Twain continued to write and in 1870 he married Olivia Langdon. After a brief residence in upstate New York as an editor and part owner of theBuffalo Express,he moved to Hartford, Conn., where he lived for 20 years. It was in Hartford where his three daughters were born. His son, Langdon, named after his wifes family, died as an infant.

During the reflection of Twains life, Lynch discussed in detail Twains friendship with President Ulysses S. Grant, including his decision later on in life to write and publish Grants autobiography.

Twain's own account of steam boating experiences and boyhood memories of life beside the Mississippi River were eventually written intoThe Adventures of Tom Sawyerin 1875, and instantly captured the attention of both young and old readers alike.

From there, he wroteThe Prince and the Pauperin 1882, andA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court,in 1889.However,his 1885 story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,in which Twain returned to the river scenes he knew best, was considered unacceptable by many of his readers.

The controversial novel discusses slavery and youth mischief. It is a narrative interpreted many ways that still stands a classic today.

Go back and read Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer and you can see he was talking to the adults in the room, not just the kids, Lynch said.

After The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,and the death of Twains wife in 1905, his writings grew bitter with The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburgin 1900, which exposed corruption in a small, typical American town, and Eve's Diaryin 1906, written in memory of his wife.

In 1906 Twain began to work on his autobiography. Portions from it were published in periodicals later that year. With the income from the excerpts of his autobiography, he built a large house in Redding, Conn., and took several trips to Bermuda to improve his declining health. He died on April 21, 1910.

One of my favorite parts about portraying Twain is being able to have a man who died over a century ago tell you how much the social issues and problems are still the same, Lynch said. Maybe one day we will learn from our past. At least when I portray Mark Twain, I can give people that message in a humorous way. Hopefully people will walk away with a smile on their face and a desire to read one of his books or several of them. He had a lot to say and I love the way he said it.

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Portraying the life and times of Mark Twain - Reporter Online