Is True Friendship Dying Away

Just as our daily life is becoming more technologically connected， we are losing other more meaningful relationship．

To anyone paying attention these days， it's clear that social media ﹣﹣ whether Twitter， Facebook， or Iinkedln﹣﹣ are changing the way we conduct relationship． Face﹣to﹣face chatting is giving way to texting and messaging； people even prefer these electronic exchanges to， for instance， simply talking on a phone． Among these smaller trends， growing research suggests we could be entering a period of crisis for the entire concept of friendship． Where is all this leading modern﹣day society？ Perhaps to a dark place， a lonelier society where electronic craze slowly replaces the joys of human contact．

Typically， the pressures of urban life are blamed． Witness crowded bars and restaurants after work： We have plenty of acquaintances， though perhaps few individuals we can turn to and share close relationships． American sociologists have tracked related trends on a broader scale， well beyond the urban jungle． According to work published in the American Sociological Review， the average American has only two close friends， and a quarter don't have any．

While social networking sites and the like have grown dramatically， the crucial element is the quality of the connections they establish． A connection may only be a click away， but establishing a good friendship takes more． It seems common sense to conclude that "friending" online brings about shallow relationships as the term "friending" itself implies．

No single person is at fault， of course． The pressures on friendship today are broad． They arise from the demands of work， or a general busyness that means we have less quality time for others． How many individuals would say that friendship is the most important thing in their lives， only to move thousands of miles across the continent to take up a better﹣paid job？

Of course， we learn how to make friends or not in our childhood． Recent studies on childhood and how the contemporary life of the child affects friendships are illuminating （启示）． A central conclusion often reached relates to a lack of what is called "unstructured time"． Structured time results from the way an average day is arranged for our kids time for school time for homework， time for music practice， even time for play． Yet too often today， no period is left unstructured． After all， who these days lets his child just wander off down the street？ We simply "hang out"， with no tasks， no deadlines and no pressures． It is in those moments that children and adults alike can get to know others for who they are in themselves．

Aristotle had an attractive expression to capture the thought： close friends， he observed， "share salt together．" It's not just that they sit together， passing the salt across the meal table． It's that they sit with one another across the course of their lives， sharing its moments， bitter and sweet． "The desire for friendship comes quickly； friendship does not．" Aristotle also remarked．

If there is a secret to close friendship， that's it． Put down the device； engage the person．

What happens when you see a cute baby? What about some lovely animals? Many of us want to pinch（捏）them. Scientists call this "cute aggression（萌系侵略冲动）".

Normally, aggression is very unfriendly. What's the reason for "cute aggression"? A study gives people an answer.

The study was done by scientists Katherine Stavropoulos and Laura Alba. Both were very interested in cute aggression and wanted to find out the reason. They decided to study what happened in our brains when we were around cuteness.

The two scientists gathered 54 people. The people in the study all put on special caps, which measured brain activity. They could show which parts of the brain were being used more and where in the brain things were happening. Then, they were asked to look at photos of cute animals and babies. Next, they answered a set of questions such as how cute they found the photos and how strongly they wanted to pinch the cute babies or animals. Most people said they wanted to do it very much.

The study has shown that the human brain is full of cute features, such as big eyes, small nose and so on. The idea is that the cuter the object is, the more positive emotion the brain has. When we feel extremely happy, the brain needs negative emotions to reduce the effect in order to achieve emotional balance. In short, your brain worries you'll die with joy.

So, don't feel bad if you sometimes feel like pinching cute babies. You' re not an unkind person. It's just your brain's way of making sure the cuteness isn't too strong to deal with.

A PhD student surnamed Sun is in the hot seat for occupying a woman's seat on a high - speed train on Aug 21.

In a video posted on Sina Weibo, the man can be seen sitting relaxedly in a seat. When the woman asked him to give her seat back, he refused and said, “You have three choices - stand, take my seat or go to the dining coach.”

A train attendant then came to try to ask him to give the seat back. Sun claimed he wasn't able to stand on his own and asked for a wheelchair. Left with no other way out, the staff led the female passenger to another seat, China Daily reported.

The video quickly lighted debate online Mary have expressed anger at the man’s behavior. Some people even dug up the man's name, as well as his education and work experience, and Put this information online.

Rumor had it that Sun works at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) However, CASS denied the rumor, saying, “Sun was a Master of Law student at the academy between 2013 and 2016. but never worked there.”

The Jinan Public Security Bureau handed down a punishment for Sun on Aug 24. He was fined 200 yuan and will not be allowed to buy train tickets for a set period of time. the People’s Daily reported.

However, some think the punishment was not strict enough, adding that those who act like Sun on airplanes can be found guilty (有罪的) China News Service noted.

Experts explained that the bureau could only punish Sun in this way according to present laws and regulations. But they added that such laws could be improved to stop train passengers from behaving poorly.