By Carol Hymowitz

In the latest episode of Tech Bros Behaving Badly, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler says she was propositioned by her boss and denied advancement because of her gender. Perhaps an even more egregious allegation is that the human resources department and senior managers at the company ignored her complaints.

Uber Technologies now joins a growing list of Silicon Valley companies that seem unable or unwilling to address bad behavior in the workplace, particularly if it's directed at women. This isn't an accident, experts say: It's partly a consequence of a growth-at-all-costs environment that sees human resources as a drag on the mission. Some new companies also see human resources professionals as rule-bound killjoys, anathema to the work-hard, play-hard culture of startups.

"You're in a race to build your product and get to market, and anything that doesn't directly contribute to that, including HR and even financial controls, is low priority when you're first starting up," said Magdalena Yesil, an early investor in more than 30 technology companies including Salesforce.com Inc. "Of course, without HR at a time when youre hiring very quickly, you dont have anyone training new employees about what behavior is acceptable or not."

A new company should have an experienced human resources manager by the time they have about 100 employees, Yesil said. At that point, they need someone who can oversee performance issues, compensation plans and management training.

Most technology startups wait far longer. A study in California Management Review in 2010 found that after five years, about a third of all new companies don't have human resources planning or evaluation system in place. Uber hired its first senior HR executive, Renee Atwood, in February 2014, around the same time Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick came under fire for a GQ interview in which he referred to the aphrodisiac quality of starting his company as "Boob-er." By then Uber already had more than 500 employees and a $13 billion valuation, according to Recode.

Often it takes a public relations or legal crisis. Snapchat brought in a senior HR executive to build a department in 2014 after misogynistic emails written by the chief executive officer were leaked to the press. GitHub, the web service for sharing and collaborating on code, didn't hire a senior HR executive until 2015, seven years after it was founded, when a female engineer publicly described a culture of bullying and disrespect toward women. The company now requires its about 600 employees to get diversity and inclusion training.

"The situation that occurred at Uber is common... because HR doesnt exist or is weak," said Y-Vonne Hutchinson, founder of ReadySet, a diversity consultant in Oakland, California. It's a bad sign when the senior-most human resources person at the company lacks a leadership role and the explicit support of the CEO.

When Silicon Valley companies finally hire HR staff, they often do so with a handful of narrow priorities in mind: recruiting and retention. If a top performer bullies colleagues or subordinates, they decide it's more important to keep him happy than to address the concerns of his targets.

"If your biggest priority is keeping your rock-star engineer happy, and you get a harassment complaint about him, you may ignore the written guidelines about what you're supposed to do," said Joelle Emerson, CEO of Paradigm, a diversity consultancy whose clients include Pinterest and Airbnb.

The embarrassment of sexual harassment scandals, coupled with poor or negligent corporate response, may catch up with startup culture eventually. Meanwhile, some research suggests that well-developed management, including human resources, can be good for the bottom line. In a survey of all kinds of companies, Yale University professor James Baron found that startups with human resources professionals are nearly 40 percent less likely to fail and 40 percent more likely to go public.

What's more, venture capitalists seem to be coming around. More VC-backed companies have human resources systems in place by the third year than those that have other sources of funding, according to a 2010 paper in the California Management Review. One of the biggest mistakes a new company can make is failing to take HR seriously, wrote Marc Andreessen in a 2014 blog post -- after more than one startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz suffered criticism for sexism and disrespect toward women. Andreessen Horowitz is an investor in GitHub and also Zenefits, an online HR software company that had some epic HR problems, including employees having sex and drinking in the office stairwells.

"Even though it is absolutely worth training company leadership in good HR practices, most managers are dangerously amateur at doing actual HR," Andreessen wrote. "Without smart, effective HR, terrible internal managerial and employee behavior leads to a toxic culture that can catalyze into a catastrophic ethical and legal crisis."

Some Uber investors aren't happy, either. Mitch and Freada Kapor, spouses and partners at Kapor Capital and Uber investors since 2010, publicly criticized the company for tapping insiders to investigate allegations of harassment and discrimination.

"To us, this decision is yet another example of Uber's continued unwillingness to be open, transparent and direct," they wrote in a blog post. "As investors, it is now up to us to call out the inherent conflicts of interest... The group (investigating at Uber) is not set up to come up with an accurate analysis of the culture and a tough set of recommendations."

Read more here:
Uber-like bad behavior thrives in absence of human resources - Economic Times

Professor Shri Narayanan of USCs Viterbi School of Engineering received the Niki and C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering. This honor is the first formal recognition in Nikias name.

Narayanan is a professor of electrical engineering, computer science, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience and pediatrics. He has served as director of the Ming Hsieh Institute of Electrical Engineering since 2010, and director of the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab since 2005.

Nikias recruited Narayanan nearly two decades ago, when Nikias was a Viterbi professor.

One of my most enduring and heartfelt achievements while at USC Viterbi was to help recruit Shri, Nikias said to USC News. Seventeen years ago, one could not overestimate his towering intellect and creativity.

Narayanans lab focuses on human-centered technologies. By using data scientific approaches to understand human cognition, aspects of human behavior are explored further. In the context of this, Narayanan wants to bring greater understanding to mental health.

We are trying to find more objective ways of diagnosing autism, as well as understanding changes in behavior in response to the treatment, he said.

Additionally, Narayanans work spreads to media studies, particularly focusing on unconscious biases and their representation in media and the effect this has on society.

Narayanans work is unique in that it brings mathematics and computer science into the equation.

These subjects traditionally have been dealt with very qualitatively, Narayanan said. We try to combine multiple perspectives from different fields like engineering, psychology and linguistics.

By bringing objective quantitative analysis to psychotherapy, Narayanan hopes to better understand the mental condition of patients in addiction therapy and counseling.

Nikias presented the award to Narayanan on Feb. 15 at Tutor Hall.

I feel very honored and excited, because [Nikias] is a leader in the field Ive worked in, Narayanan said. Hes also one of my mentors. Its very meaningful for me on both a personal and a professional level.

Go here to read the rest:
Shri Narayanan named inaugural Nikias Chair in Engineering - Daily Trojan Online

Eric Warmka is the new general manager at Minnesota Valley Funeral Homes, and the Willkommen Committee of the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce stopped by to congratulate him, and to welcome new funeral director Dan Baltramonas.

Eric, originally from Wells, has worked in the funeral industry for 12 years. He moved to New Ulm almost three years ago from the St. Cloud area with his wife, Sarah, and their son Jackson. He says he loves that MVFH is a community-owned cooperative, so that they are able to focus on service and not sales.

Dan is originally from south-east Wisconsin, and earned his mortuary science degree in Arizona. He has 15 years of experience working at funeral homes in Eau Claire and Platteville, Wisconsin.

MVFH has two locations in New Ulm as well as Nicollet and Gibbon.

Holmquist receives APMA designation

NEW ULM John Holmquist, a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in New Ulm, recently received the Accredited Portfolio Management AdvisorSM (APMA) designation from the College of Financial Planning.

Individuals who hold the APMA designation have completed a course of study encompassing client assessment and suitability, risk/return, investment objectives, bond and equity portfolios, modern portfolio theory and investor psychology.

Holmquist is part of Wealth Management Solutions, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

As a financial advisor, Holmquist provides financial advice that is anchored in a solid understanding of client needs and expectations, and provided in one-on-one relationships with his clients. For more information, please contact John Holmquist at 507-354-7177. His office is located at 510 2nd St N New Ulm, MN 56073.

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC.

Bloedow to speak to regional HR

professionals about cybersecurity

NEW ULM The responsibility for cybersecurity cant lie with IT alone when so many breaches occur as a result of human behavior.

On March 30, Sam Bloedow address HR professionals in Mankato, providing practical tactics that they can use to develop cybersecurity awareness and employee habits that will lessen the risk of cyber attack and its serious impacts.

In this presentation for the Southern Minnesota Area Human Resource Association (SMAHRA), Sam will help participants understand how the cybercriminal ecosystem has evolved, making small and medium-sized businesses rich targets for cybercrime. Hell guide the audience into a new understanding about cybersecurity awareness as a company priority, by discussing some of the threats that employees could encounter during their work day, including social engineering, phishing, and web-based exploits.

HR professionals can play an important role in how companies protect their business information and employees from cybercrime. Participants in this event will take away practical information on cybersecurity habits that can be implemented immediately and learn guildelines for effective cybersecurity training. Register and learn more about SMAHRA on their website http://www.smahra.org/.

New director at Woodstone

Maggie Gostonczik is the new executive director at Woodstone Senior Living, and the Willkommen Committee stopped by to welcome her.

Maggie is originally from the Judson area and has lived in Hutchinson for the past 12 years. She married her high school sweetheart, and they have three children together. Woodstone has three locations: Hutchinson, New Ulm, and Rice Lake. The New Ulm location has 10 memory care units and 20 care suites (assisted living), three with vacancies. Contact her at 507-359-3355 to set up a tour or to learn more about Woodstone of New Ulm.

New offices for New Ulm Real Estate

New Ulm Real Estate has moved, and the Willkommen Committee recently stopped their new offices at 1227 N. Broadway to see them.

The New Ulm Real Estate team consists of Mary Henle (broker and agent), Lisa Besemer, Stephanie Meyer, and Kim Hanson.

Mary has been in the business for 25 years, Lisa and Stephanie joined her 6 years ago and Kim began 1.5 years ago. The ladies agree that their old space was too small. They love the easy access and corner location of the new building, which used to be Terrys Auto Service. In the remodeling/building of their new offices, they kept the original building, which can still be seen in the exposed ceiling and interior walls. Stop by to see the new space, or visit them online at newulmrealestate.net.

New partner at Gislason & Hunter

The WIllkommen Committee of the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce recently stopped by Gislason & Hunter Law Firm in New Ulm to congratulate Kaitlin Pals on becoming a new partner.

Kaitlin is originally from northern Iowa (near Mason City) and attended law school at the University of Iowa. She was an English major in college and was thinking about becoming a professor before deciding to go to law school. She has been an attorney in New Ulm for about 5 years. She specializes in estate planning and corporate ag business. Her recent partnership makes her the only woman out of the eight partners at the New Ulm location.

Gislason & Hunter has three other locations, Mankato, Minneapolis, and Des Moines.

New Edward Jones financial advisor

The Willkommen Committee recently visited with Jill Berdan, new Edward Jones financial advisor at 108 N. State.

Steve Schreiber is retiring, and Jill is one of three agents who are helping with this transition.

This is a new career for Jill, who was previously branch president of SouthPoint Financial in Sleepy Eye. Jill wasnt looking for new employment; she was previously an Edward Jones client and was approached about the opportunity. She says she is setting an example for her sons that you can be in a career you love but continue to challenge yourself. She likes that Edward Jones places importance on personal connections and one-on-one meetings and she is looking forward to building relationships with her clients.

She is not going to be working alone. Kris Sandmann, who worked with Steve Schreiber for 16 years, will be staying on as senior branch office administrator.

MADELIA First Responders with the Madelia Fire Department are now some of the best-equipped in the nation to ...

See the original post here:
Business & Professional - NUjournal

By Dr. Berney Wilkinson Ledger correspondent

Although he takes a bad rap on late night TV and he is roundly criticized by many in the profession, it is good to stop once in a while to give Freud the respect he deserves. He was, for example, the first to argue that children were not just little adults who didnt know how to act and talk. Thankfully (at least for kids) he taught us that they are still a work in progress, and that we shouldnt expect children to think like or behavior like adults. Likewise, he was the first to offer a unified theory of personality. Prior to Freud, we relied on religion and philosophy to explain human behavior. Freud gave us a biological and more human explanation. And while he may have been wrong about some things and only partially accurate about some others, he gave the foundation on which all other personality theory is built. Simply put, your personality is who you are and why you act and react the way you do. Your personality forms the foundation and provides the lens through which you perceive, interpret, and interact with the world around you. And while it explains why we do the things we do, our personality generally functions in the background. Thus, while we can often identify certain personality traits in others, we sometimes have a difficult time identifying our own. We are who we are, and we generally assume that other normal people are exactly the same. Personality is rooted in our biology. If you are a parent, for example, you were able to identify your childs temperament from very early infancy. Whether easy or difficult, that early appearing temperament formed the foundation from which personality develops. What we build on that foundation, though, is based in large part on our experiences. If a child is nurtured, develops a secure attachment, and has his or her needs met early in life, the child develops a healthy and safe view of the world. Conversely, if a child is neglected, abandoned, or abused, the child is at increased risk for developing a suspicious, fear-based, or even angry world view. Since Freud first wrote about personality, theorists have developed numerous organizing schemes to describe personality. Currently, most professionals refer to the Big Five theory of personality. The Big Five consists of five dimensions of personality that include Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Extraversion refers to the extent to which you direct your energy and focus to the outside world. Openness to Experience is related to the manner in which you actively seek new and interesting experiences. Conscientiousness explains your degree of organization, motivation, and self-discipline. Agreeableness refers to your interactions with others. Neuroticism identifies how prone a person is to psychological distress. Together, these five traits help to offer an understanding and appreciation of how individual manage their world and make decisions. It is important to keep in mind that while this Big Five model helps explain typical personality traits, it does not offer an adequate basis for a discussion on personality disorders. The latter are extreme or pathological variations in personality that can exert a negative influence and impair a persons ability to function. And that is a discussion for another time. For now, remember that who you are is rooted in an intricate combination of biology and experience. And that our understanding of this critical aspect of ourselves comes from one of the fathers of psychiatry, Dr. Sigmund Freud.

Dr. Berney, a licensed psychologist with Psychological Associates of Central Florida in Lakeland, is a national speaker and the co-author of "Handbook for Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child." You can hear Dr. Berney on his podcasts, "The Mental Breakdown and The Paedeia Education Podcast on iTunes.

See more here:
Wilkinson: The history of personality theory - Daily Commercial

With the election of President Trump in November, the political pendulum has swung to the right after eight years of the Democratic Party pushing it as far to the left as it could.

As far as the pendulum was pushed left, liberals had to hold back with all their might to prevent the force of the pendulum from finding equilibrium. But they eventually could not withstand the weight of the pendulum seeking the center.

The arm had swung so far left in the past eight years that when released its kinetic energy swung the pendulum far right of center. Its equal and opposite force did not allow the normal centering of the swing. Hence, Donald Trump is president. The people rejected both the Republican candidates preferred by the partys establishment as well as Hillary Clinton, and a new popular candidate emerged for the people.

As you look over these historic swings, you begin to see that the preferred place of rest by most Americans is indeed somewhere in the center of the political spectrum. The push and pull of the far right and left points of view make the pendulum wobble off center, but never for very long in either direction. When either side pushes too hard, in time the force swings the political pendulum back with equal force.

Think of it as a normal distribution of political opinion. Most Americans share values and political points of view that gather in the middle of that distribution. Americans can find middle ground on most issues. The further you deviate from the center, to the extreme left or right, the fewer Americans you will find who hold those points of view.

Why then does it seem that the extremes get so much attention?

These groups are very vocal. They make the most noise and, unfortunately, make provocative news. We, for the most part, are not entertained by the normal, mundane life we all live in the center, so we flirt with the fringes of society. We are curious, we are voyeurs, and we have the news media to fill our insatiable need for this information. As we watch the off-center news over and over again, what was abnormal to the center now seems normal.

This has its greatest impact on the youth of our nation. They grow tired of the restrictions of a life controlled by their parents and seek new and worldly adventures. They are easily influenced in their formative years and will follow sometimes bizarre behavior. Often this behavior, if they survive the process, is replaced with real-life experiences that burst the utopian bubbles of youth. The one thing that will not change is human behavior. We will continue to see the worst and the best of humanity among our neighbors. There have been few periods where man was at peace with himself or others for any length of time. Greed, envy, lust and fear seems to propel humanity against itself. We look back on that history and wonder how a nation could become involved in such acts of violence against other nations and we deem them somehow inferior in the evolution of human understanding.

Yet, our television screens are filled with the same destruction, the same hate, the same fear of our fellow man. I was ashamed of the protests and riots in Washington, D.C., following President Trumps inauguration. We are becoming less tolerant as a nation, which was demonstrated when we could not put our differences aside for one day and celebrate the peaceful transfer of power.

We have evolved little as better human beings, having more understanding towards our neighbor, or being more tolerant of those who are different. I can only find redemption of the human spirit in the blood of my creator, Jesus Christ. I seek to be a follower of His teachings and pray for the redemption of all mankind. I pray for peace and understanding, tolerance and respect for all.

Flickinger is president of Tom Flickinger & Associates Inc., a management consulting firm.

Read more:
The political pendulum has swung to the right - Observer-Reporter

By Dr. Berney Wilkinson Ledger correspondent

Although he takes a bad rap on late night TV and he is roundly criticized by many in the profession, it is good to stop once in a while to give Freud the respect he deserves. He was, for example, the first to argue that children were not just little adults who didnt know how to act and talk. Thankfully (at least for kids) he taught us that they are still a work in progress, and that we shouldnt expect children to think like or behavior like adults. Likewise, he was the first to offer a unified theory of personality. Prior to Freud, we relied on religion and philosophy to explain human behavior. Freud gave us a biological and more human explanation. And while he may have been wrong about some things and only partially accurate about some others, he gave the foundation on which all other personality theory is built. Simply put, your personality is who you are and why you act and react the way you do. Your personality forms the foundation and provides the lens through which you perceive, interpret, and interact with the world around you. And while it explains why we do the things we do, our personality generally functions in the background. Thus, while we can often identify certain personality traits in others, we sometimes have a difficult time identifying our own. We are who we are, and we generally assume that other normal people are exactly the same. Personality is rooted in our biology. If you are a parent, for example, you were able to identify your childs temperament from very early infancy. Whether easy or difficult, that early appearing temperament formed the foundation from which personality develops. What we build on that foundation, though, is based in large part on our experiences. If a child is nurtured, develops a secure attachment, and has his or her needs met early in life, the child develops a healthy and safe view of the world. Conversely, if a child is neglected, abandoned, or abused, the child is at increased risk for developing a suspicious, fear-based, or even angry world view. Since Freud first wrote about personality, theorists have developed numerous organizing schemes to describe personality. Currently, most professionals refer to the Big Five theory of personality. The Big Five consists of five dimensions of personality that include Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Extraversion refers to the extent to which you direct your energy and focus to the outside world. Openness to Experience is related to the manner in which you actively seek new and interesting experiences. Conscientiousness explains your degree of organization, motivation, and self-discipline. Agreeableness refers to your interactions with others. Neuroticism identifies how prone a person is to psychological distress. Together, these five traits help to offer an understanding and appreciation of how individual manage their world and make decisions. It is important to keep in mind that while this Big Five model helps explain typical personality traits, it does not offer an adequate basis for a discussion on personality disorders. The latter are extreme or pathological variations in personality that can exert a negative influence and impair a persons ability to function. And that is a discussion for another time. For now, remember that who you are is rooted in an intricate combination of biology and experience. And that our understanding of this critical aspect of ourselves comes from one of the fathers of psychiatry, Dr. Sigmund Freud.

Dr. Berney, a licensed psychologist with Psychological Associates of Central Florida in Lakeland, is a national speaker and the co-author of "Handbook for Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child." You can hear Dr. Berney on his podcasts, "The Mental Breakdown and The Paedeia Education Podcast on iTunes.

Link:
Wilkinson: The history of personality theory - The Ledger

President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Jan. 23, 2017.

President Donald Trump has been dogged by questions about conflicts of interest. He has declined to divest himself of his assets or put them in a blind trust, as is customary for presidents, news reports say. He has tweeted in defense of his daughter's clothing line. And taxpayer money may go toward the Department of Defense leasing space in Trump Tower the president's property to remain close to the president when he is in Manhattan, CNN recently reported.

At the heart of any conflict-of-interest situation is the question of whether to act in your own best interest or do what is best for the greater good. Trump's issues might make a cynic shrug. After all, don't we all look out only for ourselves?

Psychological research suggests the opposite: that self-interest is far from people's primary motivation. In fact, humans are prone to act for the good of the group, many studies have found.

"In the past 20 years, we have discovered that people all around the world are a lot more moral and a lot less selfish than economists and evolutionary biologists had previously assumed, and that our moral commitments are surprisingly similar: to reciprocity, fairness and helping people in need, even if acting on these motives can be personally costly for a person," Samuel Bowles, an economist at the Santa Fe Institute and author of "The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens" (Yale University Press, 2016), wrote in an email to Live Science. [No 'I' in Team: 5 Key Cooperation Findings]

Philosophers have been arguing about whether people are inherently selfish since there has been such a thing as philosophers. In Plato's "Republic," Socrates has a discussion with his older brother Glaucon in which Glaucon insists that people's good behavior actually only exists for self-interest: People only do the right thing because they fear being punished if they get caught. If human actions were invisible to others, Glaucon says, even the most "just" man would act purely for himself and not care if he harmed anyone in the process.

It's the sort of argument that might have appealed to Thomas Hobbes, the 17th-century English philosopher famous for saying that the natural state of man's life would be "nasty, brutish and short." According to Hobbes, humans must form social contracts and governments to prevent their selfish, violent tendencies from taking over.

Not all philosophers have agreed with this dour point of view, however. Philosopher John Locke, for example, thought that humans were inherently tolerant and reasonable, though he acknowledged humanity's capacity for selfishness.

So what does the science say? In fact, people are quite willing to act for the good of the group, even if it's against their own interests, studies show. But paradoxically, social structures that attempt to give people incentives for good behavior can actually make people more selfish.

Take a classic example: In 2000, a study in the Journal of Legal Studies found that trying to punish bad behavior with a fine backfired spectacularly. The study took place at 10 day care centers in Haifa, Israel. First, researchers observed the centers for four weeks, tracking how many parents arrived late to pick up their children, inconveniencing the day care staff. Next, six of the centers introduced a fine for parents who arrived more than 10 minutes late. The four other centers served as a control, for comparison. (The fine was small but not insignificant, similar to what a parent might have to pay a babysitter for an hour.)

After the introduction of the fine, the rate of late pickups didn't drop. Instead, it nearly doubled. By introducing an incentive structure, the day cares apparently turned the after-school hours into a commodity, the researchers wrote. Parents who might have felt vaguely guilty for imposing on teachers' patience before the fine now felt that a late pickup was just something they could buy. [Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors]

The Haifa day care study isn't the only one to find that trying to induce moral behavior with material incentives can make people less considerate of others. In a 2008 review in the journal Science, Bowles examined 41 studies of incentives and moral behavior. He found that, in most cases, incentives and punishments undermined moral behavior.

For example, in one study, published in 2000 in the journal World Development, researchers asked people in rural Colombia to play a game in which they had to decide how much firewood to take from a forest, with the consideration that deforestation would result in poor water quality. This game was analogous to real life for the people of the village. In some cases, people played the games in small groups but couldn't communicate about their decisions with players outside their group. In other cases, they could communicate. In a third condition, the players couldn't communicate but were given rules specifying how much firewood they could gather.

When allowed to communicate, the people in the small groups set aside self-interest and gathered less firewood for themselves, preserving water quality in the forest for the larger group as a whole. Regulations, on the other hand, had a perverse result over time: People gradually began to gather more and more firewood for themselves, risking a fine but ultimately putting their self-interest first.

"People look for situational cues of 'acceptable behavior,'" Bowles said. "Literally dozens of experiments show that if you offer someone a money incentive to perform a task (even one that she would have happily done without pay), this will 'turn on' the 'What's in it for me?' way of thinking, often to such an extent that the person will perform less with the incentive than without."

Though cooperation is ingrained in the human psyche to some extent, it's also obvious to anyone who has worked on a team that not everyone approaches group activities with the same attitude. An increasing focus on individual differences in humans reveals that some people tend to cooperate more than others.

"It has been known for quite a while that people differ quite a lot, and they differ in all kinds of behavioral tendencies," said F.J. Weissing, a theoretical biologist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. "But when people conducted experiments, they typically looked at the average behavior and not so much at the variation between subjects." [Top 10 Things that MakeHumansSpecial]

That variation among subjects turns out to be quite important. In 2015, Weissing and his colleagues published a paper in the journal PNAS in which they allowed people to play a game where they could choose to seek out either information about the choices of other players, or information about how successful those other players were. People were remarkably consistent about the kind of information they sought, the researchers found: Two-thirds always asked for the same kind of information, whether they preferred information about choices or success.

Then, the researchers split people into groups based on which information they preferred, with some groups comprising only people who liked choice information, some groups made up of only people who liked success information, and some mixed. These groups then played games in which cooperation benefited everyone, but a selfish strategy could elevate an individual's fortunes while hurting the group.

People who fixated on the success of their teammates were more likely to behave selfishly in these games, the researchers found. This finding shows that this strategy comparing others' successes and failures prompts people to engage in behaviors focused on their own gain, the researchers said.

In contrast, people who focus on how the rest of the group is acting, regardless of individual successes, might be more prone to working together, the researchers said.

Both cooperation and selfishness may be important behaviors, meaning that species may be most successful if they have some individuals that exhibit each behavior, Weissing told Live Science. In follow-up experiments that have not yet been published, he and his colleagues have found that in some economic games, mixed groups perform far better than groups made up only of conformists or only of those who look out for themselves. [7 Thoughts That Are Bad for You]

Very fundamental physiological differences between people may be at the root of these different social strategies, Weissing said, including differences in hormone levels and organization of the central nervous system. However, he agreed that situational factors can subtly push people toward cooperation or self-interest. More realistic studies of cooperative and selfish behavior are needed, he said.

"In real life, cooperation looks very, very different from these very, very simplified lab contexts," Weissing said. "And the dominant factor is not really money, but something else. I think that makes quite a difference."

Original article on Live Science.

Link:
Conflicts of Interest: Are Humans Inherently Selfish? - Live Science

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Dr. Patricia McConnell is set to speak on Thursday at the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center Auditorium. Credit: Courtesy of Patricia McConnell

Applied animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell will promote her new memoir, The Education of Will, and inform the public on emotional connections between animals and humans on Thursday at the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center Auditorium.

The Education of Will, which was published Tuesday, is about a journey McConnell and her therapy dog, Willy, went on together to overcome past challenges.

The title refers to two things: one is Will, or Willy, who came as a troubled puppy with a vast number of behavioral problems, and also to the word will as in willpower and that it was this puppy that taught me that willpower is not enough to heal from some of the baggage in ones past, McConnell said.

McConnell said that while Willy came to her as a therapy dog, at first he contributed to setbacks in her healing process.

Willy when he came to me, rather than being like a therapy dog, in a way he made me worse because his startle reaction and his fears were so extreme that he ended up sending me back, McConnell said.

As the relationship progressed, however, McConnell said that through Willy she was able to put herself back on the path to healing.

I had thought that I had recovered from some of the traumas in my past, but his startle response was so extreme and set me on edge and made me realize that I really hadnt recovered, McConnell said. So in order to help him I realized I had to help myself.

McConnell is an adjunct professor in zoology at the University of Wisconsin, and said she has committed her life to improving relationships between people and animals.

The relationship we have with many of our companion animals its a biological miracle that we can have this close encounter with individuals of another species, McConnell said.

Through her talk, McConnell said she hopes to help people better understand their animals and how to treat them.

Dogs and other animals can indeed be psychologically traumatized, and we need to understand that, McConnell said.

Third-year veterinary student Kyle Bohland helped organize McConnells visit to OSU to educate the public on animal behavior.

For me, Im interested in behavioral medicine so just knowing the importance for veterinarians to understand dog and cat behavior, as well as the relationships humans have with their pets while we practice medicine is really important, said Bohland. Highlighting the human animal bond is a really important educational opportunity for the students.

Doors open Thursday at 5 p.m. and the lecture is set to go from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., with a Q-and-A session at 6:30. A book signing will follow and there is a requested, but optional, $5 donation.

Read the original here:
Canine behavior expert to speak on human-animal connection - OSU - The Lantern

Torah scroll (illustrative)

Flash 90

The Talmud develops the complex laws that are laid out here in this weeks Torah reading for us. In fact, a great proportion of the tractates of the Talmud are involved in explaining the words, ideas and practical implications of the verses that appear in this weeks Torah reading.

Judaism is a religion of behavior and practicality and not only of soaring spirituality and otherworldly utopian ideas. It presupposes that there will be physical altercations between people, that property will be damaged, that human beings will behave in a less than sanguine fashion and that monetary and physical consequences for such behavior are necessary in order to allow for society to function.

Above all else, the Torah is clear eyed about human nature and behavior. It does not believe that human beings left to their own resources and ideas will behave in a good, honest and noble fashion. The Torah stated at the beginning of its message to humanity that the nature of human beings is unhealthy and evil from the onset of life. Unless it is managed, controlled and channeled into positive deeds and thought processes steered towards higher and nobler goals, human beings will be little different than the beasts of prey, which inhabit the animal world.

This is the reason the Torah and Talmud go to such lengths and detail to explain to us the laws and consequences of human behavior and of the interactions between one human being and another. This is what traditional Judaism meant when it said that Baba Kama the laws of torts and damages is the best book of Jewish ethics available.

The problem that has gnawed at human society over the ages is how to create and maintain a fair, just and productive society. Humankind has yet to come up with the perfect solution to this basic problem. This is not for lack of trying and experimentation. Nevertheless the search continues. The Torah reading of this week leaves me with the impression that the perfect society will not appear on this earth in this human cycle.

The laws of the Torah, as expressed in this weeks parsha, are really those of damage control. They do not envision a world of voluntary altruism on the part of all. There will be people who negligently cause damage to others. There will be people who will do so willfully. The Torah says very little about preventing such occurrences. It speaks only to legal and monetary consequences that these occurrences bring about.

This is not a pessimistic view of life and humans. Rather, it is a realistic assessment of human nature and of the inevitable consequences that are always present in the interaction of human beings. By viewing the the consequences of human behavior, only then can one hope to influence this failure and to prevent strife and damage to others.

The nineteenth century posited that humanity had turned the corner and the societies in the world would only become better and better. The twentieth century shattered that illusion. Therefore, we should remain realistic, drive defensively and work on ourselves to become better people who will not allow lawlessness and anarchy to rule our world.

Link:
Damage control - Israel National News - Arutz Sheva

Ty Kiernan announces release of A Musicians Paradox

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. Lifelong working musician Ty Kiernan debuts in the literary limelight with a book exploring the intersection of music and philosophy with a series of rational discussions on life, human behavior, music, faith, relationships and the connection between musician and instrument. Compact and concise, A Musicians Paradox: The Ups, Downs, and Ebb and Flow of Being a Pensive Musician (published by Lulu) imparts to readers a sense of logical thinking, with compassion and emotion still intact.

This compendium is written mainly to inspire reasoned thought, rather than contentious disputes regarding sensitive issues; to inspire the reader to consider a middle position (when at all possible) that leads to adult dialogue. For Kiernan, the need for the book grew out of the emptiness the musician often feels while playing in the bar-scene and how one can overcome vapidity.

I believe it will appeal to those who love philosophy, yet do not have the time, or patience to read abstract, classical philosophical works, or those who have an interest in human behavior, yet have no former training in psychology. The book is intellectually digestible, yet should appeal to those who are academic (both musician and non-musician), the author shares.

Tackling a topic of current and wide interest, circling around politics, human behavior and music, A Musicians Paradox provides understanding on issues that seem to cause division or the people engaged with the topic allow themselves to be divided.

A snippet from the book reads:

Mental slavery, in the maladjusted manifestations of fear, addiction, hatred, impatient behavior, jealousy, egocentrism and ignorance, will always shackle the mind; and much like the deleterious effects of physical slavery/repression, one will remain arrested in ones development, with little hope of freedom. My dear friends, its obligatory to sever this mendacious thought process by any means possible, as one would hate to introspect at the end of days and realize that mere ghosts, impalpable thoughts, held one in mental slavery unto death.

A Musicians Paradox: The Ups, Downs, and Ebb and Flow of Being a Pensive Musician

By Ty Kiernan

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781483451374

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781483451350

E-Book | 372 pages | ISBN 9781483451367

Available atamusiciansparadox.com, Lulu, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Ty Kiernan is currently a working musician of over 25 years and a case manager advocating for adults with disabilities with a rather rogue, heterogeneous and somewhat unorthodox education in philosophy, theology and psychology.

Luluempowers people of all ages to explore and express their interests, passions and expertise through books, photography and art. Since introducing self-publishing in 2002, Lulu has empowered creators in more than 225 countries and territories to produce nearly two million publications. Lulu Jr. allows children to become published authors, encouraging creativity, strengthening literacy and building self-esteem. Picture.com offers professional photography of collegiate and professional sports, memorable and historic events, fine art and home dcor. For more information, please visitwww.lulu.com.

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Debut book explores intersection of music, philosophy - Gilmer Mirror