Researchers have found that looking at cute things while you work can boost your powers of concentration and increase productivity. A team of cognitive psychologists at Japan's Hiroshima University discovered that skimming through cute photos of things like kittens and puppies helps people focus better on their work.
The team based its research on the Japanese concept of "kawaii," which Wikipedia describes as, "the quality of cuteness…a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, behavior, and mannerisms….literally, 'lovability', 'cuteness' or 'adorableness.'" The scientists believe cute things produce positive feelings and affect performance.
The researchers tested 132 participants doing two tasks. One was to use tweezers to remove items from small holes without touching the sides; the other was to find numbers in a grid. Each participant repeated the task after looking at a set of photos of either puppies and kittens, adult dogs and cats, or "neutral" images of food.
Those who looked at the cute pics improved their performance in the second task by as much as 44 per cent. The scientists say cute things, "capture attention, bring a smile to the viewer's face, and induce motivation and behavior for...caregiving". They added that cute objects could be used to "induce careful behavioral tendencies in specific situations, such as driving and office work".
EXERCISE 1. PRONUNCIATION/WORD VOCABULARY
1. boost [bost]
Meaning (verb) to increase or to improve something;
Example Sentence: Preparing before my interview can boost my confidence.
2. cognitive [kog-ni-tiv]
Meaning (adjective) All about understanding and reasoning; logical thinking processes
Example Sentence: After the accident, the doctors assessed Karl's cognitive processes.
3. Skimming [is-kim-ming]
Meaning (verb) To skim is to read over something quickly or to glance over something.
Example Sentence: We advice you to do skimming through these reports in case anything stands out.
4. Mannerism [ma-nee-ri-zim]
Meaning (noun) A mannerism is a habit, gesture or other speech or dress characteristic that someone does often.
Example Sentence: Holding his ears while talking to someone is her mannerism.
EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS
1. What is the article all about?
2. Is it important to give an importance about the quality of "cuteness"? Why or why not?
3. What makes you happy?
4. Do you think looking at cute things helps your concentration?
5. What do you think of pictures of kittens and puppies?
No comments:
Post a Comment