Why We Need Delayed Gratification

Researcher Arthur C. Books told the following story about how we all can benefit from self-control and waiting.

My father-in-law, with whom I was very ...

The Impatience Epidemic

Clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz writes, “I see so many clients who don’t have the ability to wait, and it is no wonder. In a world where ...

The Rise of the Irate Customer

If you find yourself being more impatient than ever before when interacting with people in customer service roles—or if you’ve noticed other ...

How Do You Drop a $20 Million Stradivarius?

Stradivarius musical instruments are renowned worldwide as some of the greatest ever shaped by the hand of man. Of the roughly 1,000 violins, cellos, ...

The Psychology of Polite Words

For decades, a social psychologist named John Bargh has conducted studies on the way words affect behavior. In one such study, undergraduate students ...

Behind the Slowest Person in the Checkout Line

Garret Keizer was asked by his minister to visit an elderly parishioner, Pete, in a nursing home. Garret finds out that Pete loves bananas, so he starts ...

Airline Pilot Scolds Passengers – It Went Viral

When a video of an American Airlines pilot scolding his passengers during a pre-flight announcement went viral, some people deemed it patronizing. Others ...

How A Husband and Wife Took Back Their Sundays

Freelance writer Jason Heller describes how he and his wife made a pact a few years ago:

Every Sunday, we swore to each other, we will abstain from work. ...

Persevering Air Traveler Rewarded with Empty Plane

Conventional wisdom says that good things come to those who wait. That axiom rarely applies, however, to the drudgery of domestic air travel as most people ...

Hey, New Mom, Have You Considered Relaxing?

Writing in the New Yorker, Lucy Huber and Joanna Davis have some advice for new mothers:

Hello! I see you are a young mother caring for your young children, ...