mindfulness

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Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect
2 months ago
- Prosocial behavior is essential to social life, but spontaneous environmental triggers for it are underexplored; this study tests if an unexpected event (a person dressed as Batman) can increase prosocial behavior.
- A quasi-experimental field study on the Milan metro (138 rides) found passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat to a pregnant woman when Batman was present (67.21%) than in the control condition (37.66%), with an odds ratio of 3.393.
- The presence of Batman significantly influenced prosocial behavior (p < 0.001), explaining 11.2% of variance, and most helpers were women in both conditions.
- Interestingly, 43.75% of those who offered their seat in the Batman condition reported not seeing Batman, suggesting the effect may not require conscious awareness.
- The findings support the hypothesis that disruptions to routine can heighten present-moment awareness and sensitivity to others' needs, potentially promoting prosocial actions.
- This 'Batman effect' suggests potential applications in public spaces, such as artistic interventions or campaigns, to encourage kindness and cooperation.
- Limitations include the specific setting (metro), the positive symbolism of Batman, potential cultural influences, and estimated demographic data.
- Future research should explore other types of unexpected events and controlled settings to clarify underlying mechanisms.
How to Exist
2 months ago
- The experiment involves sitting for three minutes without doing anything while being completely content, which reveals the difficulty of simply existing.
- Humans have an inherent discomfort with the present moment, leading them to seek constant distraction or change to escape it.
- This avoidance is so fundamental that people engage in unnecessary activities like buying things, arguing, or even self-harm to avoid being still.
- Practicing existence without trying to change it, even for a few seconds per breath, can increase comfort with being present.
- A simple practice involves staying relaxed and open to all feelings during a single inhale or exhale, repeating as possible over five minutes.
- Regular practice reduces the need for distraction and makes ordinary discomforts like waiting more tolerable.
- The article includes reader comments that affirm the value of stillness and relate personal experiences with meditation.
Make yourself a happy place in your inbox - a mindfulness tip for your working day
2 months ago
- Work inboxes are often stressful and full of distractions, requests, and complaints, making them a source of negativity.
- The author created a simple folder named 'Nice :-)' to collect emails containing praise, thanks, or positivity.
- This folder serves as a personal 'happy place' that brings joy during good times and support during tough days.
- The practice helps counteract fleeting feelings of success and negative self-talk by preserving evidence of positive feedback.
- It is recommended as an easy, low-effort mindfulness technique that can improve mental well-being at work.
Life Happens at 1x Speed
2 months ago
- The author switched to consuming all content at 1x speed, including podcasts, YouTube videos, and audiobooks.
- They created a rule: if something isn't worth consuming at 1x, it's not worth consuming at all.
- Consuming at 2x speed is often driven by FOMO or anxiety, not genuine productivity.
- The goal should be consuming better, not consuming more—life happens at 1x speed.
- Boredom is essential for processing ideas and having original thoughts.
- Faster consumption often leads to less retention and understanding, like empty calories.
- The 1x rule acts as a quality filter, making you selective about what you consume.
- Slowing down leads to greater enjoyment, engagement, and memory of content.
- Intentionality is key: ask what you're trying to gain from consumption.
The Zen of Parallel Programming: The Posture of a Kernel
2 months ago
- GPU kernels are specialized functions launched across the GPU, with threads grouped into wavefronts and thread blocks, and their performance depends on threads, data, and hardware architecture.
- The HipKittens paper introduces an eight-wave ping-pong schedule on AMD hardware that overlaps computation with memory movement, where paired waves alternate roles between computing and prefetching data.
- Parallel programming requires a balance between independence and dependence among threads; complete independence prevents unified results, while total dependence leads to waiting.
- The author draws a parallel between the alternating roles of GPU waves and Suzuki's 'Posture' concept, emphasizing that roles are real but temporary, and posture is about relationships during change.
- Human experiences and traumas can create fixed postures that persist beyond their original conditions, but recognizing that these postures can change is key to personal growth.
- The analogy suggests that, like GPU kernels, humans must understand what aspects of their past can adapt, what must be reorganized, and what no longer fits present conditions.
Show HN: What's Your Typing Speed?
2 months ago
- A typing game aims to improve speed, focus, and personal bests.
- Observing everyday scenes from a train window: backyards, laundry, a cyclist.
- Morning market details: baker, fruit stand, patient dog under flower stand.
- A plant quietly unfolding a new leaf symbolizes steady, secret care.
- Fixing a loose drawer handle with two turns brings satisfying closure.
- Clearing a desk in five minutes transforms tasks from walls to doors.
- Returning a library book ends its week-long journey with a soft thump.

mindfulness

Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect

How to Exist

Make yourself a happy place in your inbox - a mindfulness tip for your working day

Life Happens at 1x Speed

The Zen of Parallel Programming: The Posture of a Kernel

Show HN: What's Your Typing Speed?