Teens interested in losing weight, for instance, got advertisements for unhealthy tips on how to become anorexic (厌食者). Such advertisements targeted these kids in hopes of persuading them to try things that were either dangerous or illegal at their age.

Advertisements are just one example of persuasion — trying to change another’s mind. Advertisements may try to convince us to buy something or do something new and different. Marketing is a field of persuasion designed to sell things, notes Jacob Teeny. Persuasion can be used to sell things. At its worst, it can be used to control people. Clearly, persuasion can be used for good and bad.

People open to new experiences tend to be more easily persuaded, Teeny says. But open-minded people can resist some persuasive arguments — such as the idea that eating junk food is cool. And closed-minded people can sometimes be persuaded. “If you haven’t really thought about the arguments” ahead of time, Teeny says, you’re going to be “much more persuadable.”

HABITS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

As teenagers grow up, they become more independent and start making their own decisions. However, during this period, it can be easy for some of them to form bad habits. These bad habits, if left unchecked, could lead to more serious ones when they become adults. For example some of them may become involved in tobacco or alcohol abuse, which can lead to physical and mental health problems. To prevent harmful habits like these from dominating a teenager’s life is essential. They must learn to recognise bad habits early and make appropriate changes.

To change bad habits is never easy, even with many attempts. There is a famous saying based on the philosophy of Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do.” In many ways, our lifestyle is the sum of choices we have made. We make a choice to do something, and then we repeat it over and over again. Soon that choice becomes automatic and forms a habit that is much harder to change. The good news is that we can change, if we understand how habits work.

According to modern psychology, we must first learn about the“habit cycle”, which works like this: Firstly, there is “cue”, an action, event, or situation that acts as a signal to do something. Secondly, there is a “routine”, the regular action you take in response to the cue. Thirdly, there is a “reward”, the good thing or feeling we get from the routine.

For example, when we feel unhappy (cue), we eat lots of unhealthy snacks (routine), which makes us feel happy (reward) The reward makes us much more likely to continue the cycle, and the bad habit of relying on unhealthy snacks is formed.

To facilitate a positive change in our bad habits, we must first examine our bad habit cycles and then try to adapt them. We can do this by combining the information from our habit cycles with our own positive ideas. For example, we could try to replace a negative routine with something more positive. So, when we feel unhappy again (cue), rather than eat snacks, we could listen to some of our favourite music instead (routine), which will make us feel relaxed (reward). Aside from changing bad habits, we can also use the habit cycle to create good habits. For example, when we come toan escalator(cue), our normal routine is to ride it, but we could change this routine into something more positive by taking the stairs instead.

Many of us try to change bad habits quickly and if we are not successful straight away, we often become pessimistic and give up. In fact, the most successful way to change is not suddenly, but over a period of time. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Zi wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” One step seems small, but it is essential. To reach the goal of change, a person must show some discipline and repeatedly take many small steps. After all, it is not easy to break bad habits.

For young people, there is plenty of time to change bad habits. However, there is no “magic pill” or delete button that will help you; you have to think about your bad habits and decide on some changes. You have the power to build a happy and healthy life full of good habits!

How to Spread Awareness About Climate Change

Climate change is one of the biggest problems we’re facing on our planet. Even though some people aren’t aware of how seriously it affects the world, there are a lot of things you can do to keep them informed.

Share news on social media. 【小题1】. Look online for videos, news articles, and recent research about climate change from sources you trust, such as the EPA, the NOAA, or NASA. Post the links on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds and encourage other people to share them as well.

【小题2】. Talk about the visible impacts if someone doesn’t see the big picture. Some people might not notice the effects of climate change and don’t understand how severe of a problem it is. Discuss the changes that have happened in your community due to climate change so they have a better idea of the problems.

Create art relating to climate change. Show the effects and images of climate change through your work. Art inspires so many people, so it might be a good way to show your concerns about climate change.

Then, you should keep in mind that climate change is the phenomenon of changing weather patterns in the world. 【小题3】, and avoid politically biased or commercially-biased media.