Do you feel the urge to yawn almost immediately after seeing someone else do it?  You're not alone.  As it turns out, though, yawning is far from the only behavior we can deem contagious.  A study published recently in the Journal of Ethology made a startling finding: The same psychological process that makes yawns contagious also influences people to check their smartphones. People have a need to follow the norms imposed on them by others. No one wishes to be the lone outsider who defies social norms.  In turn, it prompts them to mirror as closely as possible the actions of those in their orbit. This is known as the chameleon effect. As another example, you've probably noticed how people tend pick up each others’ gestures or mood during a conversation. I suppose these findings shouldn't strike us as a total surprise. After all, people seem to LIVE on their phones. Whether they're walking to school, in the bathroom, watching a game, eating dinner, or, most frighteni...

Ever wonder why losing something seems so much more potent than gaining something? According to a concept known as loss aversion, our fear of loss is greater than our desire to gain. In other words, we prefer not to lose $10 than to find $10. Some studies have suggested that losses are psychologically twice as powerful as gains. It's no wonder, then, that consumers are so easily swayed by ads that include verbiage suggesting that time is of the essence, like "while supplies last" and "this offer ends soon." Even if we might not want or need a product, we take advantage of the offer -- just so that we don't miss out. The person who said, "You don't know what you have until it's gone" was onto something. When we lose something, we lament the absence of something that may never come back. In many cases, they can be things that hold some sentimental value, like an old shirt or Teddy bear. Gaining something -- say, buying a 201...

Today's quote comes from Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), principal leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India: "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." - Gandhi Gandhi's quote is quite simple. If you think you're smart and capable of great things, that's exactly what you'll do. If you think you're not deserving of all the rewards that come from hard work, you won't get them. We are masters of our own destiny, and our lot in life is largely psychological. If you remain positive even in the face of life's toughest challenges -- if you refuse to give up -- you'll eventually prevail. However, if you allow only negative thoughts to pervade your mind, all that will do is induce negative situations. It is then you can become a prisoner of your own mind. Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your conse...