The Weekend Hangover

Happy Saturday all! You survived another work week and happy hour from last night. Time to start recovering with The Weekend Hangover.  

Eight subconscious mistakes our brains make everyday. This is a great list, but I would add the fundamental attribution error to this list. The FAE describes how people attribute actions or outcomes to a person rather than a situation. If someone cuts you off in traffic, you’re likely to say that person is a bad driver or use some four letter word to describe their personality. However, did you see the car that swerved into their lane they avoided a collision with by quickly getting in front of you? Thanks to my friend Caitlin for posting this article.

With apologies to my economist friends Rob Mahrt and James Tierney (who you should be following on twitter), new study shows economists are horrible people.

Dating: How far can one go to encourage a relationship. The beginnings of relationships are fun and exciting where people are expressing mutual interest and getting to know one another, but you don’t get that feeling every time you meet someone. If that warm fuzzy feeling isn’t happening for both people and the interest seems to be one sided, we should probably move on and leave this person alone. But many times, we don’t. Trying to facilitate a relationship with another person is risky business. The goal is to generate interest and get attention from the other person without seeming pushy or desperate. In these situations, my suggestion is to keep it light and fun, then employ the Brad Pitt Rule. To gauge if you’re being blown off, ask yourself if the excuse the other person is making not to see you would still work if you were Brad Pitt (lets say Kate Upton for girls). Hint: if the excuse is, “I’m really busy at work right now” they have no interest in you.  Also, never, ever text someone you’re trying to facilitate a relationship just a question mark, unless you’re intentionally trying to slam the door on yourself.

A typical Spaniard’s working day starts at 9:00am, stops at 2:00 pm when they eat until 5:00, then they working again until 8:00pm. That may be soon changing though.

Eight inventions by women that dudes got credit for and four executives talk about how to succeed in business as a woman.

How Hollywood can capitalize on piracy: Box office figures suggests that more is gained than lost through piracy sites. 2012 was Hollywood’s best year in history, with $10.8 billion in North American ticket sales and a 6% increase in theater attendance over 2011 and it was partially attributed to a bump in online piracy.   

Study: Want people to trust you? Apologize for the rain. When a stranger simply asked people if he could use their phones, just 9% said yes, but if he first said, "I'm sorry about the rain!" (it was, in fact, raining), 47% allowed him to use their phones.

Positive Psychology is mainly for rich white people

Does Dustin Pedroia, or any pro athlete, have a right to privacy? Peyton Manning in a press conference last week said he believed in HIPPA, which is the medical privacy act. Deadspin does a great job breaking down both sides of the argument as only they can. 

How to balance kids and a career

Ohio State marching band moonwalks during Michael Jackson halftime show – I was at this game sitting in about the location where this video was shot. It was pretty awesome to see.

“We must increase our debt limit so that we can pay our bills” is a terrifying rationality by our government when you really think about it. The possibility of default was much worse, but the fact that has to be a solution is a bit scary.

Infographic: is the debt still worth the degree?

Nate Silver on the U.S. government shutdown

CEOs All At Sea : An interesting quote, “Many CEOs are genuinely naïve.”

The nine most painful impact of the government shutdown: Thank god that is over

The Friendship Bank: How and Why Even the Most Giving Friend Expects Payback

Energy’s unexpected jobs boom:

Mental Health Tips For Parents of College Students

What makes someone an angry drunk: