Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force—both online and on foot— searching for the perfect gift. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can cause ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many enjoy the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest persons. At the same time, many fear the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended receivers.

What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients, but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this overspending problem — i.e., that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much receivers will appreciate the gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive (凭直觉得到的) to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift- receivers will seldom tend to base their feelings of appreciation on the significance weight of a gift than givers assume.

Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (i.e., more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a symbolic ritual(礼节), by which gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended receiver and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended receiver. As for gift-receivers, they may not consider smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.

In practical terms, people spend hundreds of dollars each year on gifts, but somehow never learn to measure their gift expenses according to personal insight.

 Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

●Recite and repeat in conversation.

   When you hear a person’s name, repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

●Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

  You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

●Admit you don’t know.

  Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

●Use associations.

   Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example, you could make a mental note: “Vicki Cheng－tall, black hair.” To reinforceyour associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

●Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

   When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning first names. Last names can come later.

●Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometime just a few people show up on time. There’re fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others --- an automatic review for you.

     D

We have a crisis on our hands. You mean global warming? The world economy? No, the decline of reading. People are just not doing it anymore, especially the young. Who's responsible? Actually, it's more like, What is responsible? The Internet, of course, and everything that comes with it ─Facebook, Twitter. You can write your own list.

There's been a warning about the imminent death of literate civilization for a long time. In the 20th century, first it was the movies, then radio, then television that seemed to spell doom for the written world. None did. Reading survived; in fact it not only survived, it has flourished. The world is more literate than ever before ─ there are more and more readers, and more and more books.

The fact that we often get our reading material online today is not something we should worry over. The electronic and digital revolution of the last two decades has arguably shown the way forward for reading and for writing. Take the arrival of e-book readers as an example. Devices like Kindle make reading more convenient and are a lot more environmentally friendly than the traditional paper book.

As technology makes new ways of writing possible, new ways of reading are possible. Interconnectivity allows for the possibility of a reading experience that was barely imaginable before. Where traditional books had to make do with photographs and illustrations, an e-book can provide readers with an unlimited number of links: to texts, pictures, and videos. In the future, the way people write novels, history, and philosophy will resemble nothing seen in the past.

On the other hand, there is the danger of trivialization. One Twitter group is offering its followers single-sentence-long “digests” of the great novels. War and Peace in a sentence? You must be joking. We should fear the fragmentation of reading. There is the danger that the high-speed connectivity of the Internet will reduce our attention span ─ that we will be incapable of reading anything of length or which requires deep concentration.

In such a fast-changing world, in which reality seems to be remade each day, we need the ability to focus and understand what is happening to us. This has always been the function of literature and we should be careful not to let it disappear. Our society needs to be able to imagine the possibility of someone utterly in tune with modern technology but also able to make sense of a dynamic, confusing world.

In the 15th century, Johannes Guttenberg's invention of the printing press in Europe had a huge impact on civilization. Once upon a time the physical book was a challenging thing. We should remember this before we assume that technology is out to destroy traditional culture.

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    If you’re t ired of the Mediterranean and don’t want to head to Disney again, perhaps it’s time for a summer holiday in space. Russia has declared plans for its first floating hotel, 217 miles above earth, and it is something of an offering with good service.

    Hosting just seven guests in a four cabins, the accommodation will boast huge windows with views back to earth and tasty microwave meals will be served instead of the ones often used by astronauts. 

    Just getting there will be an adventure in itself—it will take two days aboard a Soyuz rocket—and it won’t exactly be a budget holiday: A five-day stay will cost you￡100, 000 to￡500, 000 for your journey. The hotel is due to open by 2016 and, according to those behind it,  will be far more comfortable than the International Space Station (ISS) used by astronauts and cosmonauts.         

    In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical(垂直的) or horizontal. Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens. Many kinds of delicacies will be available.

    Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited. Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. Waste water will be recycled.         

    Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies which will construct the hotel,  said: “Our planned module inside will not remind you of the International Space Station. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth. The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.” The hotel can also be used as an emergency bolthole (避难处) for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis. 

The United States is already one year into a depression. That was the news this week from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The downturn is the longest since a depression that began in 1981 and lasted sixteen months.

Economists generally wait for production to shrink for six months in a row before they declare a recession. But the bureau, a private group, uses a wider set of information to measure the economy. The news only confirmed what many people already knew: that the world’s largest economy is weak and may not recover soon.

Worsening conditions have led to a big drop in spending, especially on costly products like new cars. Even Japanese automaker Toyota saw its sales fall thirty-four percent in the United States in November from a year ago.

The heads of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors returned to Congress this week to again ask for federal aid. Congressional leaders blamed them two weeks ago after they came in private jets with no clear plans for saving their industry. This time, the chiefs drove to Washington in fuel-saving vehicles. And their companies presented detailed restructuring plans. The request for aid has risen from twenty-five billion dollars two weeks ago to thirty-four billion in loans and credit lines.

GM wants almost half of that, and says it needs four billion dollars this month. It warned that without support it cannot continue to operate. Ford is in a better position. But the sharing of suppliers means it could be affected if GM or Chrysler fails. Ford is asking for a nine billion dollar credit line in case it needs it. Chrysler is the smallest and most troubled of America’s Big Three. It says it needs a seven billion dollar loan by the end of the month.

Two days of congressional hearings began on Thursday. The chairman, Democrat Chris Dodd, said he would support helping the automakers for the good of the economy. But the committee’s top Republican, Richard Shelby, continued to express opposition to financial aid.

A main root of the world financial crisis is the weak housing market in the United States. The Treasury Department has been under pressure to help troubled homeowners. Now comes news that the department is developing a plan aimed at reducing interest rates on mortgage loans (按揭贷款) for some buyers of homes. That could be good for homeowners trying to sell. That could be good for homeowners trying to sell.

  It's that time of year when both high school and college graduates are looking forward to putting constant exams behind them and moving on to a more exciting stage of their lives. But in the digital age, not everything is so easily left behind. Ever since they were young, they have created a digital footprint that's often not easy to change or cover up.

       However, there are various actions that they can take to make that online presence more appealing. Here are a few suggestions that you might want to pass on:

      1 Clean up your Facebook account

      Clean up your Facebook page and get rid of anything that could he considered offensive or held against you. Remember, the test is no longer "Would you want grandma to see it? "but" Would you want a future employer to see it?"

      2 Use a professional looking photo

      A picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure that first impression(印象) is a good one. Again, what worked at school is unlikely to impress the employers. Also, he consistent(一致的)and use the same photo on all your online platforms. Make it easy for people to recognize you and start to build your brand.

      3 Grow your network

       While it's important to make the transition(转变) from school to the workplace, you don't want to leave everything behind. Make a point of keeping in touch with your school friends, teachers, professors, councilors, camp friends, sports coaches, anyone who could be helpful to you as you establish a career. The best way to land a job is still by word of mouth.

      4 Be yourself

       Nobody can be more like you than you. Make sure your online presence is representative of who you really are. Turn your social networking pages into your own personal web site, and start marketing your own individual brand!

D

    When Carson Palmer，hurt his elbow a few years ago，he took a week off from throwing the football．But in his head，Palmer practiced every day．“You stand right behind the center，and you see the coverage unfold as you would if you had the ball in your bands，”he told ESPN．The following weekend，Palmer had the best game of his career．

    For more than a century，scientists have been trying to understand how this mental training works．In the 1930s，researchers demonstrated that when you’re imagining an action，your brain sends signals to your muscles that are too weak  to make the muscles move but might help train the body to perform．Alternatively，mental practice might create a blueprint in your head，like an inner how-to guide for a particular skill．

    Sports psychologists have conducted hundreds of studies comparing imagined and physical practice for actions such as tap dancing．Overall，the research shows that mental training works．A study，for example，compared 32 amateur golfers who tried to hit golf balls into holes with another 32 who just held a golf club in their hands and visualize their swings．Under the same training，both groups improved by getting the ball about 10cm closer to the hole．

    Visualization has advantages over the real thing：You can do it anywhere，even when injured．It’s safe—a major advantage for high-stakes performers such as surgeons．That’s not to say it’s easy．“We’ve had Olympic—level athletes sitting in our lab，visualizing for two hours．”says Tadhg MacIntye，a sports psychologist．“When we’re done，they’re absolutely exhausted．”

    It doesn’t work for everyone，though．“If，you’re not experienced in the activity，the impact can be negative，”warns MacIntyre．“If you’re trying to visualize a free throw，and you don’t

even know the proper way to hold the ball and move，then you’re probably going to mentally rehearse the wrong skill，and you won’t get better．”

D.

If your job requires a lot of sitting, you could be putting your health at danger.

The American Journal of Epidemiology (流行病学) did a study in 2010 on the correlation (相互联系) between sitting and an individual's physical health. In the study, 53,440 working men and 69,776 working women were surveyed on their time spent sitting. The subjects were all disease free when employed. The researchers identified 11,307 deaths in men and 7,923 deaths in women during the 14-year follow-up.

The findings: Women who reported sitting for more than six hours per day had an approximately 40 higher all-cause death rate than those who reported less than three hours a day, and men had an approximately 20 higher death rate.

Well, now's a fine time to get this information. But why didn't they tell me this years ago? I would have planned on taking a more active job instead of the sedentary (坐着的) job of an editor.

So what can you do if you have to work for a living at a job that requires a lot of sitting? Here are some ideas:

Take frequent breaks. It is recommended that workers vary activities, change their position, and take short breaks every 20 minutes to rest muscles and increase blood circulation. Get a standing desk. Some studies have shown that working from an upright position may be better for health. The serious fitness people can even purchase a treadmill (跑步机) desk. It only goes about one mile per hour. Have a walking meeting. If your group is kind of small, going for a walk while discussing topics is a good alternative.

D   

Daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time．Or it was considered an unhealthy escape from real life and its duties．Daydreaming has always had a bad reputation，but now scientific research has showed that daydreaming may actually improve your mental health and creativity．It can even help you achieve your desired goals．

Now some people are taking a fresh look at daydreaming．Some think it may be a very healthy thing to do．Researchers are finding daydreaming，they tell us，is a good means of relaxation．But its benefits go beyond this．A number of psychologists have conducted experiments and have reached some surprising conclusions．   

Dr．Joan T．Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to intellectual growth．It also improves concentration，attention span，and the ability to get along with others，she says．In an experiment with school children, the same researcher found that daydreaming led the children to pay more attention to details．They had more happy feelings．They worked together better．Another researcher reported that daydreaming seemed to produce improved self-control and creative abilities．

But that’s only part of the story．The most remarkable thing about daydreaming may be its usefulness in shaping our future lives as we want them to be．Industrialist Henry J．Kaiser believed that much of his success was due to the positive use of daydreaming．He maintained that “you can imagine your future．”Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse．The young Thomas Edison pictured himself as an inventor. For these famous achievers，it appears that their daydreams came true．

Of course daydreaming is no substitute(代替者)for hard work．You have to work hard to develop skills．Daydreaming alone can’t turn you into your heart’s desire．But in，combination with the more usual methods of self-development，it might make a critical difference．And who knows：You might see your own daydreams come true．

D

       Some of the best research on daily experience is rooted in rates of positive and negative interactions, which has proved that being blindly positive or negative can cause others to be frustrated or annoyed or to simply tune out.

    Over the last two decades, scientists have made remarkable predictions simply by watching people interact with one another and then scoring the conversations based on the rate of positive and negative interactions. Researchers have used the findings to predict everything from the likelihood a couple will divorce to the chances of a work team having high customer satisfaction and productivity levels.

    More recent research helps explain why these brief exchanges matter so much. When you experience negative emotions as a result of criticism or rejection, for example, your body produces higher levels of the stress hormone, which shuts down much of your thinking and activates (激活) conflict and defense mechanisms (机制). You assume situations as being worse than they actually are.

    When you experience a positive interaction, it activates a very different response. Positive exchanges increase your body’s production of oxytocin, a feel-good hormone that increases your ability to communicate with, cooperate with and trust others. But the effects of a positive occurrence are less dramatic and lasting than they are for a negative one.

    We need at least three to five positive interactions to outweigh (超过) every one negative exchange. Bad moments simply outweigh good ones. Whether you’re having a conversation, keep this simple short cut in mind: At least 80 percent of your conversations should be focused on what’s going right.

    Workplaces, for example, often have this backward. During performance reviews, managers routinely spend 80 percent of their time on weaknesses and “areas for improvement”. They spend roughly 20 percent of the time on strengths and positive aspects. Any time you have discussions with a person or group, spend the vast majority of the time talking about what is working, and use the remaining time to address weaknesses.