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Why Do Friendly People Usually Lead Happier Lives?
January 24, 2015
High scorers on the personality trait of agreeableness are eager to please, concerned for others, and compliant to other perspectives. On average, they live happier lives too. A new study suggests a possible reason: when they have the chance, friendly people tend to avoid engaging with negative things. The researchers, Konrad Bresin and Michael Robinson, began by asking participants to view a series of positive and negative images, spending as much time as they wanted on each one. Most people...
January 24, 2015
High scorers on the personality trait of agreeableness are eager to please, concerned for others, and compliant to other perspectives. On average, they live happier lives too. A new study suggests a possible reason: when they have the chance, friendly people tend to avoid engaging with negative things. The researchers, Konrad Bresin and Michael Robinson, began by asking participants to view a series of positive and negative images, spending as much time as they wanted on each one. Most people...
Using a Smartphone For One Day Has Transformative Impact On The Brain
January 24, 2015
Using smartphones profoundly changes the way the thumb and brain work together, a new study finds. The electrical activity in a smartphone user’s brain spikes when their fingertips are touched, in comparison to an old-school phone user, the researchers found. And the more people use their smartphones, the greater the spike in activity across the cortex. Dr. Arko Ghosh, who led the study, said: “I was really surprised by the scale of the changes introduced by the use of smartphones. I...
January 24, 2015
Using smartphones profoundly changes the way the thumb and brain work together, a new study finds. The electrical activity in a smartphone user’s brain spikes when their fingertips are touched, in comparison to an old-school phone user, the researchers found. And the more people use their smartphones, the greater the spike in activity across the cortex. Dr. Arko Ghosh, who led the study, said: “I was really surprised by the scale of the changes introduced by the use of smartphones. I...
Proportionality Limits Scope of Permissible E-Discovery
January 23, 2015
A federal magistrate judge has denied a motion to compel e-discovery, finding a lack of proportionality between the costs...
January 23, 2015
A federal magistrate judge has denied a motion to compel e-discovery, finding a lack of proportionality between the costs...
Mindfulness Can Literally Change Your Brain
January 23, 2015
The business world is abuzz with mindfulness. But perhaps you haven’t heard that the hype is backed by hard science. Recent research provides strong evidence that practicing non-judgmental, present-moment awareness (a.k.a. mindfulness) changes the brain, and it does so in ways that anyone working in today’s complex business environment, and certainly every leader, should know about. We contributed to this research in 2011 with a study on participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness...
January 23, 2015
The business world is abuzz with mindfulness. But perhaps you haven’t heard that the hype is backed by hard science. Recent research provides strong evidence that practicing non-judgmental, present-moment awareness (a.k.a. mindfulness) changes the brain, and it does so in ways that anyone working in today’s complex business environment, and certainly every leader, should know about. We contributed to this research in 2011 with a study on participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness...
Merkel and Putin: A Study in Negotiation Style
January 23, 2015
In his recent profile of Merkel in the New Yorker, journalist George Packer outlined the complex relationship that she and Putin have forged. Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and spent her young adulthood there, shares a common geography with Putin, a former KGB major who guarded the KGB bureau in Dresden, Germany, when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Merkel and Putin switch between German and Russian during their meetings and regular phone calls. Merkel, a former scientist who prides herself...
January 23, 2015
In his recent profile of Merkel in the New Yorker, journalist George Packer outlined the complex relationship that she and Putin have forged. Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and spent her young adulthood there, shares a common geography with Putin, a former KGB major who guarded the KGB bureau in Dresden, Germany, when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Merkel and Putin switch between German and Russian during their meetings and regular phone calls. Merkel, a former scientist who prides herself...
The Jobs With The Highest Rates of Depression
January 22, 2015
Here is the full list of the jobs with the highest levels of depression along with the percentage of people suffering from depression or a condition which involves depression, like bipolar disorder: Local/Intercity Passenger Transit — 16.19% Real Estate — 15.65% Social Services — 14.60% Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries — 14.25% Personal Services — 14.25% Legal Services — 13.44% Environmental Quality/Housing — 13.42% Membership Organizations — 13.28% Security...
January 22, 2015
Here is the full list of the jobs with the highest levels of depression along with the percentage of people suffering from depression or a condition which involves depression, like bipolar disorder: Local/Intercity Passenger Transit — 16.19% Real Estate — 15.65% Social Services — 14.60% Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries — 14.25% Personal Services — 14.25% Legal Services — 13.44% Environmental Quality/Housing — 13.42% Membership Organizations — 13.28% Security...
Shifting the Collectibility Burden for Legal Malpractice
January 22, 2015
Another state has held that the uncollectibility of an underlying judgment is an affirmative defense that attorneys sued for malpractice may plead and prove. The Washington Supreme Court held that public policy supports placing the burden of proving uncollectibility on defendant-attorneys, joining a growing trend that already includes Alaska, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Schmidt v. Coogan. This trend marks a departure from the traditional rule that the plaintiff...
January 22, 2015
Another state has held that the uncollectibility of an underlying judgment is an affirmative defense that attorneys sued for malpractice may plead and prove. The Washington Supreme Court held that public policy supports placing the burden of proving uncollectibility on defendant-attorneys, joining a growing trend that already includes Alaska, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Schmidt v. Coogan. This trend marks a departure from the traditional rule that the plaintiff...
Service via Facebook Permitted as “Best Chance” of Actual Notice
January 22, 2015
A New York court will allow a petitioner seeking to modify his child support obligations to serve legal papers on a respondent via Facebook because personal service was not practical. In the Matter of a Support Proceeding, Noel B, Petitioner v. Anna Maria A. Although other courts have permitted substitute service through social media in addition to other means of service, this decision appears to be the first allowing Facebook to serve as the primary or sole method of service, and Section leaders...
January 22, 2015
A New York court will allow a petitioner seeking to modify his child support obligations to serve legal papers on a respondent via Facebook because personal service was not practical. In the Matter of a Support Proceeding, Noel B, Petitioner v. Anna Maria A. Although other courts have permitted substitute service through social media in addition to other means of service, this decision appears to be the first allowing Facebook to serve as the primary or sole method of service, and Section leaders...
Now Nanotechnology Can Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Early
January 21, 2015
A new type of brain scan which can detect the toxins which cause Alzheimer’s disease has been developed by scientists at Northwestern University. The test, which uses nanotechnology, identifies the early signs of dementia and could be used to both monitor and combat the disease. The areas of the brain which contain the amyloid beta toxins are seen on the brain scan as large dark patches. The new test is a breakthrough because previously it was only possible to detect the amyloid plaques...
January 21, 2015
A new type of brain scan which can detect the toxins which cause Alzheimer’s disease has been developed by scientists at Northwestern University. The test, which uses nanotechnology, identifies the early signs of dementia and could be used to both monitor and combat the disease. The areas of the brain which contain the amyloid beta toxins are seen on the brain scan as large dark patches. The new test is a breakthrough because previously it was only possible to detect the amyloid plaques...
Financial Analysis Of Litigation Funding Transactions
January 21, 2015
The emergence of litigation finance has enabled CFOs to better manage and finance a once dormant asset – potential litigations. Many of the companies that we finance are emerging businesses with promising new products that have the ability to transform an industry. Businesses such as these are often characterized by a high ROI (return on investment) and a constrained budget (often having recently raised capital from the venture community). Imagine that the wrongful conduct of a third party has damaged...
January 21, 2015
The emergence of litigation finance has enabled CFOs to better manage and finance a once dormant asset – potential litigations. Many of the companies that we finance are emerging businesses with promising new products that have the ability to transform an industry. Businesses such as these are often characterized by a high ROI (return on investment) and a constrained budget (often having recently raised capital from the venture community). Imagine that the wrongful conduct of a third party has damaged...
