Looking for a good book? Stay away from the award-winning section of the bookstore or library.
Whether it's sports, poker or the high-stakes world of business, there are those who always find a way to win when there's money on the table.
When faced with a difficult decision, we try to come up with the best choice by carefully considering all of the options, maybe even resorting to lists and lots of sleepless nights.
Happy individuals are predisposed to seek out and undertake new goals in life and this reinforces positive emotions, say researchers who examined the connections between desirable characteristics, life successes and well-being of over 275,000 people.
Whether it's for money, marbles or chalk, the brains of reward-driven people keep their game faces on, helping them win at every step of the way. Surprisingly, they win most often when there is no reward.
A polite act shows respect. But a new study of a common etiquette -- holding a door for someone -- suggests that courtesy may have a more practical, though unconscious, shared motivation: to reduce the work for those involved.
Individuals who live in wealthy neighborhoods are more likely to have materialistic values and poor spending habits, the study says, particularly if they are young, living in urban areas and relatively poor compared with their surroundings.
Some argue that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
Unlike with short-term finite goals, the unconscious will continue to positively value objects related to the long-term goals, even after a level of success has been achieved.
Scientists have identified for the first time a particular gene's link to optimism, self-esteem and "mastery," the belief that one has control over one's own life — three critical psychological resources for coping well with stress and depression.
A researcher has found that the specific colors used in a company’s logo have a significant impact on how that logo, and the brand as a whole, is viewed by consumers.
While these creative or "Aha!" moments often are associated with scientific discoveries and inventions, most people occasionally feel the thrill of insight when a solution that had eluded them suddenly becomes obvious.
Often we're discouraged because of some tough challenge or obstacle in our way. But a shift in mindset, courtesy of a Zen proverb, can change everything: The obstacle is the path.
Students, athletes and performing artists are often advised to imagine themselves performing successfully. But is that motivation influenced by what perspective they take when imagining their performance?
Lying about performance on one task may increase creativity on a subsequent task by making people feel less bound by conventional rules, according to research.
We all have days when we’re just not very inspired, when we need passion and creativity breathed into us.
But after studying common roadblocks to problem-solving, a cognitive psychology researcher has developed a toolkit for enhancing anyone's skills.
It is a beautiful thing to create, to produce, to go out there in the world and make a contribution. But it is just as important that we teach others to create and produce, that we encourage them...
We all know that getting a good night's sleep is good for our general health and well-being. But new research is highlighting a more surprising benefit of good sleep: more feelings of gratitude for relationships.
If it feels like one part of your brain is battling another, it probably is, according to a study published in Science.
Members of a group or team will work harder when they're competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group.
The color red can affect how people function: Red means danger and commands us to stop in traffic.
Backpackers scored 50 percent better on a creativity test after spending four days in nature disconnected from electronic devices, according to a study by psychologists from the University of Utah and University of Kansas.
A professor has recently published his magnum opus on the subject of procrastination - and it's only taken him 10 years.
Most of us experience ‘gut feelings’ we can’t explain, such as instantly loving -- or hating -- a new property when we’re house-hunting or the snap judgments we make on meeting new people.
Why do "Aha!" moments sometimes come easily - and sometimes not at all?
You win some, you lose some. Such are life's ups and downs.
Little research exists in the area of self-talk, although internal dialogue often influences the way people motivate and shape their own behavior.
In contrast to "every man for himself" interpretations of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, social scientists are building the case that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, altruistic and compassionate traits.
Research suggests that overall happiness in life is more related to how much you are respected and admired by those around you, not to the status that comes from how much money you have stashed in your bank account.