Named!
A survey of 2,000 Americans (done online by Talker Research, a market research and PR polling agency) found that 18% (roughly 1 in 5) admit to judging a person based solely on their first name, before any interaction takes place, before a handshake, and before a resume or even a face is scrutinized. Judging a book by its cover.
“Karen” came in first place, drawing far more negative mentions than any other name. “Chad” was a distant second, with “Donald,” “John,”
Choose?
Associated Press recently ran an article on the paradox of choice. Bottom line: Cut the number of choices you make each day. Your brain will thank you!
We demand an abundance of choices so that we can pick the perfect set of clothes, the ideal Netflix show, the best car, the greatest home. Oh, and that heavenly soulmate.
But behavioral scientists say the increasing deluge of choices is melting your mind!
Said Barry Schwartz, emeritus psychology professor at Swarthmore University
Green!
Callum Borchers had an article in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the other day: “Why White-Collar Men Are Obsessed with the Perfect Lawn.”
He cited Dave Won, a successful sales consultant:
I get a lot of satisfaction from my hard-earned green. I am referring, of course, to the verdant lawn that I care for like one of my children. I’m competitive. My neighbors have good lawns, but I’m going to try to get a better lawn than them.”
Apparently, these days, for a lot
Snow?
Temps are spiking all over the world in a roasting heatwave.
Reported the New York Times recently:
On a recent Tuesday, the heat index in Frisco, Texas, spiked above 100 degrees. While asphalt bubbled beneath a scorching sun, Katelin Schebler was relaxing on a bench in a room that looked like a stylish meat locker. Swaddled in a robe, mimosa in hand, she was writing in her journal under a gentle snowfall.”
Yup, that’s right: “a gentle snowfall.” In Frisco, Texas!
Schebler,
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.