All posts tagged: Knowing

Knowing Themselves Helps LGBTQ+ Teens Thrive

Knowing Themselves Helps LGBTQ+ Teens Thrive

Published by Jenni Sidey

Starting high school is hard for many kids; for LGBTQ+ teens, the transition can be particularly daunting. In many school districts, students move from a smaller middle school to a larger high school. They are introduced to new social structures and more rigorous academics while experiencing the physical and emotional changes that accompany adolescence. Often, high school provides a more diverse environment, including greater exposure to students who identify as LGBTQ+. New research from the PRIDE Lab under the direction of Dr. Adam Hoffman and lead by doctoral candidate Robert Klein in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University looks at the changes that occur for both LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual high school students during their first years of high school. Specifically for LGBTQ+ teens, research finds that higher self-esteem – defined as how positively someone views themselves – is linked to lower anxiety and meaningful declines in anxiety over time. And, in a separate study, cisgender heterosexual adolescents who became more open to LGBTQ+ peers over time also reported higher social well-being. The …

This is how we do it: ‘I love the idea of only knowing one person intimately for the rest of my life’ | Life and style

This is how we do it: ‘I love the idea of only knowing one person intimately for the rest of my life’ | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

Veronika, 18 double quotation markThere have been days when we’ve been on the phone for 10 hours at a stretch Part of me always hoped I’d have a love story like my parents, who were college sweethearts and are still crazy about each other 30 years later. Maybe that’s why it felt so natural to me that Fabio and I were serious about our future together from the moment he asked me out two years ago. We were just 16 and 17 at that point, and still dealing with the madness of A-levels (not to mention applying to universities on different sides of the Atlantic), but while most of our friends split up after sixth form, we never even considered it, though admittedly long-distance has been way harder than I expected. Before Fabio and I started dating, I’d only ever been kissed once – badly – so he’s the first person I’ve shared my body with in any real way. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hook-up culture, but I’ve always been clear that …

Knowing an AI is involved ruins human trust in social games

Knowing an AI is involved ruins human trust in social games

Published by José Betancourt

When artificial intelligence steps in to make decisions for people during social interactions, human partners respond with less trust, fairness, and cooperation, ultimately leading to worse outcomes for everyone involved. However, when people are unsure if an automated program is pulling the strings, they behave normally and often secretly rely on the technology themselves. These findings were recently published in the journal PNAS Nexus. Artificial intelligence programs known as large language models can generate human-like text and answer complex queries. These tools are increasingly integrated into daily life, helping people draft emails, settle disputes, and make choices with social consequences. The almost universal nature of these text-based models makes them fundamentally different from older algorithms designed for narrow tasks like playing chess or sorting data. As these conversational algorithms take a more active role in mediating communication, it raises a question about how people respond to a machine acting on behalf of another human. Interactions online are increasingly text-based, meaning algorithms will likely play a larger role in shaping human relationships. Understanding how people react …

This smart home tech is something you may use without even knowing it

This smart home tech is something you may use without even knowing it

Published by skeptic

You may be in the process of setting up a smart home, or already have one, and are focusing on getting products and devices that fit into the same ecosystem. Having compatible devices makes your life a lot easier, as those devices can potentially work together to provide you with a better smart home experience. Whether you choose Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, or other options on the market, you have plenty of devices that you can choose from. If you use Amazon’s lineup of products or have done research on them, you likely know about Amazon Echo speakers and Ring products like video doorbells and security cameras. While most people want their devices to connect to one another, you probably aren’t too concerned with just how they actually do so. Most people likely think it’s via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and don’t question it otherwise. Amazon uses something called Sidewalk that you may not realize you’ve been using for years. Related MakeUseOf’s Best of CES 2026: Headphones, rollable laptops, and multi-screen smartphones It’s a …

Jenny on Holiday: Quicksand Heart review – Let’s Eat Grandma innovator’s knowing new-wave reinvention | Music

Jenny on Holiday: Quicksand Heart review – Let’s Eat Grandma innovator’s knowing new-wave reinvention | Music

Published by Sam Flores

Over the past decade, 27-year-old Jenny Hollingworth’s musical output has become steadily less strange. As half of Let’s Eat Grandma, the Norwich native started out making freaky synth-folk the arch syrupiness of which chimed with the then-nascent hyperpop scene: I, Gemini, the duo’s 2016 debut, was outsiderish juvenilia of the most thrilling variety. For its follow-up, I’m All Ears, Hollingworth and her bandmate, Rosa Walton, sharpened their songwriting skills while holding tight to their eccentricities; the result was an album of sensational futurist pop. By 2022’s Two Ribbons, they were slipping into slightly more subdued, conventional territory – albeit retaining enough idiosyncratic sonic detailing to maintain their place at the edge. The artwork for Quicksand Heart. So it takes a moment to adjust to the overt familiarity of Hollingworth’s first solo venture. Like Two Ribbons, it reflects on grief (she lost her partner in 2019) and the temporary disintegration of her lifelong friendship with Walton, except this time the introspection is set to knowingly nostalgic 1980s new wave. When the choruses don’t sparkle, Quicksand Heart …

Successful People Who Stay True To Themselves Do These 5 Things Without Anyone Knowing | Cathleen Miller

Successful People Who Stay True To Themselves Do These 5 Things Without Anyone Knowing | Cathleen Miller

Published by Jenni Sidey

Not long ago, I meat a woman who was recently retired and trying to find a new life direction. She had money — she had already become a multimillionaire after selling her company. But she wanted more. Now, before you say you can’t feel bad for a millionaire, this problem is one many of us can relate to!  All she had focused on for so many years was income. Now what? After crossing her own “financial finish line,” as millions of us aspire to, she hit a dead end. Her expected magical sense of fulfillment and completion was missing and had left her feeling deflated and lost. That’s because the many small compromises made along her route to success cost her sense of self. Like many others, she bought into the misguided illusion of “I’ll be happy when … ” and then felt hollow once she arrived at “when”. It is possible to be successful There’s one way to do this — you need to keep your authentic self at the center of every choice you make.  …