Uncertainty reduction theory: What are you sinking about!?

In this society we are all trying to be different from the rest of the world. It’s funny that we humans are more similar to each other than we all think. For example, if we (have to) meet a person we don’t know, it is likely that we are trying to get more information about the person in front of us. Think about it yourself: if you meet a nice boy or girl in a club, you’ll ask how old he or she is, what she does etc.

Researchers have discovered that the more humans know about each other, the less uncertain they will feel about each other. And if you feel more certain, you will like that person more. This phenomenon is called the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. It is assumed that people will always try to find out new information about people they are interested in but don’t know. This can be done by simply asking (think again of that attractive person you met in a club), but also active strategies like visiting someone’s webpage can be used for this purpose.
In regard to the reduction of uncertainty, people will act predictable and move true certain stages. When strangers meet for example, the entry phase starts. In this phase you greet someone (‘Hi, how are you?’). In the personal phase, people exchange personal information (‘How was that party you went to last night?’). This phase is more likely to occur after several meetings, but that is not necessarily. The last phase is the exit phase, in this stage people decide whether they want to continue the contact or not.

I recently found out that even in a close relationship with your friend or partner, it is still important to reduce uncertainty. In this cases, only the interactive strategies like directly asking what he or she has on his/her mind will work. If you know why your friend or partner behaves like he/she does, you will have more certainty which makes you more confident in a relationship, despite of all differences you might see.  

So there you have it again: humans are more similar to each other then they think they are.  

Another major aspect to reduce uncertainty is speaking each other language, either literally or figuratively. The hilarious video beneath shows what can happen if you don’t speak each other’s language literally. I suspect that the captain of the ship won’t be too happy with this coastguard…

How do we become happy?

Last week I found out that having a million dollar does not necessarily make you happy. But now I am curious what it is that makes us happy.

According to professor Bartels from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, happiness is partially due to heredity. If none of your family members suffers from a depression, it is likely that you will not develop a depression either.
As people grow older, their environment tends to have less impact on them because they have to build their lives on their own. So if your grandfather was a grumpy old man who died alone as a result;  poor you.

However, about 40% of being happy can be affected by an individual itself! According to some philosophy professors, the so called ‘life skills’ are an important aspect. The life skills exist from three parts: independence, decisiveness and sociability. What does this mean in daily life? Well, Kennislink  gives a few interesting do’s and don’ts:

ü  Get married (I could not believe it either but is said to be true) 

ü  Do not be materialistic (that means throw away your I-phone?)

ü  Try some exercise (but, so the article says, if you really believe you are not made for all kinds of movement faster than walking ; just stop exercising immediately)

ü  Get in some sort of club

ü  Change what you can change and accept what you cannot change

Although people who suffer from a depression swallow antidepressiva in order to be happy, this is not recommendable for healthy people. If I look at the do’s and don’ts, it appears to me that happiness is just luck in combination with hard work.

Want to know more do's and don'ts about happiness? Check http://www.kennislink.nl/publicaties/de-kunst-van-het-geluk 

Does money make you happy??

A few weeks ago, I tried to figure out why people buy lottery tickets. Well, now I was wondering: does money make you happy?

The Radboud Univerity of Nijmegen figured it out for me. It appeared to be that when all the basic needs are fulfilled, it only matters whether you are richer or at least as rich as your neighbor. Health plays a more important role when it comes to happiness than money does.
In order to stay happy it is important that an income continues to grow, even if it is still only a little. According to Nobel Laureate some sort of ‘Happiness Ceiling’ exists. This means that you cannot be more happier than when you have a year income of €58.000. So actually, there is no point to win a few million. And that makes me happy J

Biertje?

In class I heard that it is important to use current topics in our blogs. Well, at the moment there is no topic more current than Carnaval is. And, dear readers, what type of beverage will be most popular during Carnaval? Exactly: Beer.

Off course, we all know that drinking too much beer can be devastating for your health, but I was wondering whether there are also positive side-effects. And guess what: there were! I’ll give you a few good excuses to drink beer during this Carnaval! Cheers!

Did you know that:

… Beer protects you against heart attacks? If you drink 500 Cl beer a day, your chances to get a heart attack will decline with up to 60%.

… Beer also protects you against a stroke because it prevents you for blood clots.

…Beer helps you to sleep better. Only one glass is needed to bring you in a more relaxing state.

…Beer protects you against stress. Scholars of the University of Montreal found out that a few glasses beer per day caused a decline in stress hormones. People who were completely sober felt more stress at work than people who were not.

…Beer takes care of a clear skin. Some vitamins in Beer support the building of pigment in your skin. This will make sure that your skin looks pure en clean.

…Beer is good for your hair because the ingredients will give it more volume. Important to know is that you have to use it as a hair rinse instead of drinking it. As you can see below, a lot of shampoo manufacturers have used this wisdom in order to improve their products.  

Want to know the other 14 reasons for drinking beer? Check this website:

http://www.telegraaf.nl/etenengenieten/3768924/__Twintig_redenen_om_bier_te_drinken__.html