William Shatner: Empathy must be taught

What a group of orphaned elephants can teach us about emotion and learned social skills.

  • Empathy is defined as the act of recognizing, understanding, and being sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others.
  • Sharing a story about young elephants at a nature preserve, William Shatner argues that empathy is a learned skill, not an inherited trait.
  • "That has to be learned, and I don't think it's any different from a boy to a girl. You have to walk in the shoes to experience what the other person is experiencing."
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Researchers find how to add more "love hormone" to your relationships

A study looks at the chemistry of couples engaged in different activities.

Henri Leconte at art class. 2019. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
  • Leisure activities can help release more oxytocin, say researchers.
  • Oxytocin is a hormone linked to social and sexual interaction.
  • Couples who took art classes and played board games together released oxytocin.
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Want to age gracefully? A new study says live meaningfully.

Thinking your life is worthwhile is correlated with a variety of positive outcomes.

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  • A new study finds that adults who feel their lives are meaningful have better health and life outcomes.
  • Adults who felt their lives were worthwhile tended to be more social and had healthier habits.
  • The findings could be used to help improve the health of older adults.
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Telling the truth works better than you might think

Research says we overestimate the risk of truthtelling.

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  • A new study looks at assumptions that telling the truth is dangerous
  • Telling the truth and getting along are not mutually exclusive
  • Being more honest can lead to more enjoyable, better relationships
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Coparenting: A lifestyle innovation from our broke middle class

Economic necessity and growing isolation are making some middle-class families try coparenting, explains author Alissa Quart.

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  • Economic necessity and growing isolation are making some middle-class families try coparenting, explains author Alissa Quart.
  • Is the practice of sharing living spaces and parenting responsibilities across families a depressing trend or a "revolutionary" adaptation?
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