Article: The $11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like "I never do anything right" into positive ones like "I can succeed." But was positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking? Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are. The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your friend who is slow to learn that he has the potential of an Einstein, _ . In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written. In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students' self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, "I am lovable." Those with low self-esteem didn't feel better after the forced self-affirmation . In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren't urged to think positive thoughts. The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic viewpoint. Call it the power of negative thinking. Question: According to the study of the Canadian researchers, _ . Yes or no, is the answer "encouraging positive thinking may actually discourage people"?
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Article: Mid-IB at a glance The summer vacation is the time to consolidate your learning and prepare for the year ahead. In July and August Oxford Study Courses will once again hold its Mid-IB Summer School for students half way through their IB Diploma . We'll be back giving another generation of IB students a unique opportunity to sample a way of life enjoyed by students at famous universities. Students who have completed the first year of their IB Diploma can join us and we can help them prepare for their important second year. Students can choose how many subjects they study. Each subject is studied for one week. You can attend up to 5 weeks. The Mid-IB Summer School is held at Cambridge University in the UK (between June 20th and August 1 st) and at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)in Boston, USA (between July 6th and July 25th). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Student comments * "The classes have shown me new approaches to learning. I have also learned how to approach exam questions and now feel confident in doing so." * "It was cool creating tight and close relationships with other students from around the world, realizing we all had a connection to each other." * "I really enjoyed the level of independence, although I felt like people were watching out for us. I also felt like an Oxford student!" * "I have enjoyed the learning style and the course work has been extremely beneficial academically." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Enjoy the summer Our Summer School gives you an action-packed social scene with visits to the fun places in the area, organized sports and social events, and advice on how to enjoy your free time in these amazing cities with your new friends. Welcome to contact us at ose@ose-ib.com or on +44(0)1865 521802! Question: The text is most probably a(n) _ . Yes or no, is the answer "advertisement"?
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Article: One period of our lives when better results are demanded of us is, strangely enough, childhood. Despite being young we are expected to achieve good grades, stay out of trouble, make friends at school, do well on tests, perform chores at home and so on. It's not easy. Likeable children enjoy many advantages, including the ability to deal more easily with stresses of growing up.In her bookUnderstanding Child Stress, Dr. Carolyn Leonard states that children who are likeable and optimistic are able to gain support from others. This leads to focus and resilience , the ability to recover from or adjust early to life stress. Much research shows that resilience has enabled children to succeed in school, avoid drug abuse, and develop a healthy self-awareness . Why does a likeable child more easily handle stress and do better in his or her life? Because likeability helps create what's known as a positive feedback loop . The positive feelings you want to see in other people are returned to you, creating constant encouragement and motivation to deal with the daily stress of life. This feedback loop continues into adulthood. To return once again to the example of teaching, learning becomes easier with a likeable personality. Michael Delucchi of the University of Hawaii reviewed dozens of studies to determine if likeable teachers received good ratings because of their likeability or because they in fact taught well. Delucchi found that "Students who perceive a teacher as likeable, in contrast to those who do not, may be more attentive to the information that the teacher delivers and they'll work harder on assignments, and they will learn more." You may have noticed this pattern in your own life when you try to give some advice. The more positive your relationship with that person, the more he or she seems to listen, and the more you feel certain that that person has heard you and intends to act on your words. Question: According to Dr. Leonard, likeable children _ . Yes or no, is the answer "can achieve more and understand themselves better"?
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Article: Music is really powerful. Without music, movies would lose some of their attraction. No one disagree with the powerful effect music has on individuals. Whether this effect is positive or negative, however, often depends on the type of music listened to. And researches have shown that certain types of music own the ability to relieve one's anxiety, improve brain development in children, uplift one's memory and help patients to recover...just to name a few. It should come as no surprise then, that researchers from the Tufts University have found that background music has the ability to directly affect one's eating habits as well. They counted the bites of food individuals took at meals while listening to different types of music. The diners "ate at an average rate of 3.9 bites per minute", with about a third of the diners requesting more food after clearing their plates. On the other hand, with "spirited tunes, "the diners "sped up to an average of 5.1 bites per minute! "Not surprising however, when "calming flute instrumental" were played, the eating speed of the diners slowed "to 3.2 bites per minute--and the bites became smaller". They didn't request second helpings and praised that the food tasted better. Studies have clearly stated that one safe way of losing weight includes eating slowly. Since it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell the brain that it's full, eating slowly will help you to eat to satisfaction--without overdoing it. With this important piece of information then, it leads one to believe that with the use of calming background instrumental music, one can slow their food digestion, "retraining" both the stomach and the brain to take in less food which could lead to weight lost. Is there any truth to this theory? One will never know unless they try it themselves. Even if it doesn't work for you, at least you'll achieve a bit of relaxing and pleasant environment during your meal periods. A great meal with great music--who could ask for anything more? Question: Music can help people lose weight by _ . Yes or no, is the answer "slowing their eating speed"?
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