According to a recent survey conducted by health insurance firm Cigna, social media can in fact make us lonely. It all depends on how engaged one is on such platforms. If you're passively using it -- say, scrolling News Feeds and mindlessly checking out what people are commenting on each other's posts -- it could very well lead to negative outcomes like depression and loneliness. But if you're considerably more active -- reaching out and connecting to people to facilitate eventual face-to-face interactions -- social media can be beneficial. The findings held across all age groups. What's more, respondents who said they have more in-person interactions on a daily basis reported being less lonely. Further, the survey unearthed that working too much or too little is also associated with the experience of loneliness. There's no question that people should work in-person interactions into their schedule. While social media has made it easier to keep in to...

Many supervisors are left scratching their heads when some of their best subordinates defect to other companies. Keeping employees engaged and loyal isn't rocket science, but many employers fail to recognize their shortcomings when it comes to retention -- or lack thereof. In order to keep employees motivated, they should heed the valuable tips below. The more of them they put into practice, the greater the chances of keeping their employees happy, which usually translates into longevity. 1. Provide a fair compensation and benefits package. You don't necessarily have to offer the highest salaries and best benefits in your respective industry, but employees know a cheap employer when they see one. If your starting salaries and benefits are not even remotely on par with those offered by your competitors, where do you think your talent will eventually end up? 2. Show appreciation for employees' hard work. My employer recently acknowledged my five year anniversary wit...

This is an easy one to answer, at least for me. Anything that isn't intellectually stimulating tends to bore me, with exception to comedy movies and animals. Talk to me about the presidential election and I'm fully engaged. Talk to me about your neighbor's boss's husband's new lawnmower, and you'll have me zoning out in no time. Whether you call it small talk or chit chat, it's anathema to people like me with a perpetual thirst for knowledge. I often find greater company in a book or documentary. At least those things teach you something . What comes out of most people's mouths nowadays is mostly nonsense, or empty talk. I know that small talk is the name of the game in Corporate America, and one has no choice but to play along if they wish to keep their job. I do so rather grudgingly. So what am I trying to say?  That with exception to certain individuals, I find the vast majority of people I come across to be, well, boring. As I've stat...