Science!: Eeyore, Baguettes and Babies :

Eeyore Had it Right

Feeling grumpy? In a bad mood? Feel like it's always raining, and only on you? Put down the Prozac and suck it all in. Sunshine ain't all it's cracked up to be. New research has shown that feeling grumpy can help you make better decisions - and it will certainly cost less than an EmoBowl.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales asked volunteers to focus on either positive or negative events in their life. Next, they asked the participants to perform a few different tasks, such as debating the truth of urban legends or providing accurate accounts of events.

Eeyore and his ilk outperformed the Sunshine Happy FunTime kids by far - they made fewer mistakes and were clearer communicators. Professor Forgas states that a "mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style"

However, being a happy-go-lucky, Tigger-type has its perks too. People in positive moods have heightened creativity, cooperate with their peers better, and rely on mental shortcuts. Those in poor moods tend to be more attentive, careful thinkers. So, depending on which traits you'll need for the task ahead, you'll need to choose between listening to The Cure or Britney Spears to promote whichever mood will best serve your interests.

Source: BBC

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As many Escapist users pointed out, the artificial black hole created by the Chinese scientists in last week's story was not a real black hole. As ironlenny put it: "A black hole is a region where gravity is so strong that it causes space/time to curve back on itself." The metamaterial in this experiment distorts light, and traps it indefinitely inside a "maze" of sorts, but gravity is not responsible for the distortion. I meant to make this more clear in the article, but thanks for pointing it out, guys!

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