Scientists have been studying how people use money for long. Now they’re finding some theories may apply to one group of monkeys.

Researchers recently taught six monkeys hos to use money. They gave the monkeys small metal disks (圆片) that could be used like cash and showed them some yummy apple pieces. The monkeys soon figured out that if tyey gave one of the disks to a scientist, they’d receive a piece of apple in return.

If you think that is all the monkeys can figure out, you are wrong. Two researchers, Jake and Allison, acted as apple sellers in the experiments. The monkeys were tested one at a time and had 12 disks to spend in each experiment. Jake always showed the monkeys on apple piece, while Allison always showed two pieces. But that’s not necessarily what they gave the monkeys. The number of apple pieces given for a disk was determined at random.

Experiment One: Allison showed two pieces of apples but gave both piece only half the time. The other half, she took one piece away and gave the monkey just the remaining piece. Jake, on the other hand, always gave exactly what he showed: one piece for each disk. The monkeys chose to trade more with Allison.

Experiment Two: Allison continued to sometimes gave two pieces and sometimes one piece. But now, half the time, Jake gave the one apple piece he was showing, and half the time he added a bonus. Guess what? The monkeys chose to trade more with Jake.

In the first experiment, the monkeys correctly figured out that if they traded with Allison, they’d end up with more treats. In the second one, when a monkey received two pieces from Jake, it seemed like a gain. When Allison gave the monkey only one piece instead of the two she showed, it seemed like a loss. The monkeys preferred trading with Jake because they’d rather take a chance of seeming to win than seeming to lose.

We also sometimes make silly business decisions just to avoid the feeling that we’re getting less, even when we’re not. Would you have made the same choices?

What Are the Physical Benefits of Exercise?

Exercise is often thought of as activities that help a person lose weight or prevent weight gain. Having a body that is slimmer and trimmer is certainly one of the physical benefits of exercise, but there are many others. 【小题1】

Exercising can help strengthen the muscles.

Diet pills may help a man shed weight but they will not help him build or strengthen his muscles. The physical benefits of exercise are generally experienced simultaneously. 【小题2】 This benefit is not limited to males and the types of exercises that produce these results are not limited to weight lifting.

Working out can make the bones stronger.

Exercise also strengthens bones, which becomes more important the older a person gets. Bones go through a natural process of breaking down the rebuilding. 【小题3】 Physical activity produces that stimulation and, therefore, helps decrease the likelihood of conditions such as osteoporosis (骨质疏松).

【小题4】

Many people are concerned with looking older. Slowing and reversing the effects of aging are benefits of physical exercise. Cellulite (皮下脂肪团), for example, can make a young woman appear older than she is. 【小题5】 Wrinkles are another sign of aging that can be reduced by exercise since physical activity tends to improve the condition of skin.

Mark, a professor at Stanford University, published a paper named The Strength of Weak Ties. Until then scholars had agreed that a person’s happiness depended mainly on the quality of relationships with close friends and family. 【小题1】. You should know those about the “weak ties”.

One way to think about any person’s social world is that you have an inner circle of people whom you often talk to and feel close, and an outer circle of people whom you see infrequently or just for a short time. Mark named these “strong ties” and “weak ties”. 【小题2】.

Mark studied 282 Boston-based workers and found that most of them got their jobs through someone they knew. 【小题3】. 84% got their job through those weak-tie relationships.

【小题4】.

Sandstrom, a senior lecturer in psychology, found that people with larger networks of weak ties tended to be happier in general, and that on days when a participant had a greater number of casual interactions(互动) with weak ties — a neighbour, a member of yoga class — they experienced more happiness.

【小题5】, particularly when we’re taking part in an activity of some kind, like singing or cycling. A study showed that regardless of nationality or age, people who were members of groups such as sports teams or church communities enjoyed an increased sense of meaning and safety.