Interesting

By nature, we're optimistic. We think we're better than most people at virtually everything we do. We believe we'll beat the odds of getting cancer even when we smoke a pack of cigarettes a week. This is the result of our optimism bias, and it both helps us succeed and make some of the dumbest decisions of our lives. Here's how it works, and how you can make it work for you.

In the video above, scientist Tali Sharot gives a brilliant TED talk on our optimism bias. It's the phenomenon that causes us to look on the upside of just about everything, whether that's to our benefit or not. There are many upsides, such as believing you will succeed against all odds. It's the part of our brains that helps us take important chances and risks in the face of adversity so we can achieve something great. It's something we'd barely be human without. It's also responsible for convincing us that smoking is going to kill someone else rather than us. It keeps us from buying health insurance because we'll never get hurt. It makes us believe we could actually win the lottery, and that winning the lottery could make us happy. If you've ever been excited about the possibility of anything, you have an idea about how it works.

Anticipation Makes Us Happier Than the Result

Often times the main event—whatever it may be—isn't all that great. Instead, it's the months leading up to that event that we love. Think about your favorite days of the week. If you picked Saturday first, then Friday, you're among the majority. Saturday is our first day off from work, so we look forward to it all week. Friday is our first late night option, since we don't have to get up on Saturday. But what about Sunday? We have the entire day off. Why isn't it better than Friday? Because on Sunday there's no anticipation of the weekend. We know we're going back to work. It doesn't matter if we love or hate our jobs, but just that we're not anticipating the fun things we'll do over the weekend. It's the imaginative quality of anticipation—one that's often uniquely optimistic—that makes us happy. While the result may be good, it's everything leading up to that result that matters more.

This is good because it makes us do things. We get excited about the prospects of anything we think we'll enjoy, and that provides us with the necessary motivation to actually do it. This points to one good trick: if you want to motivate yourself to get started on anything, just think about how great it will be when you've finished. Whether it will actually be great or not is another story in itself, but even if the optimism is misplaced it'll be enough to get you started. And getting started is everything.

When Making Important Decisions, Your Optimism Bias Can Hurt You

The downside to the optimism bias is that it can cause you to make some decisions that will seem pretty dumb in hindsight. You might think health insurance is a waste of money because you've rarely been sick and then find yourself stuck with a $5,000 emergency room bill and no way to pay it. You'll justify all the chocolate cake you eat as a harmless indulgence despite your family's history of heart problems. You just won't take risks seriously because your brain has a bias for looking on the bright side.

This can be intensely problematic, but the alternative is just as bad. Constant paranoia might help you live longer, but it certainly doesn't improve your quality of life. That said, you don't have to pick one extreme over the other. Through Sharot's research, she's learned that although we don't know our biases inherently, knowledge that they exist is just about enough to keep us from making stupid decisions. If you simply keep in mind that your optimism bias exists, when you think highly of yourself you'll be able to question whether or not that mode of thought is beneficial or hurtful. If it helps you move forward, let it be. If not, consider the possible major downsides. Request advice from other people in your life before you buy a home in a supposedly up-and-coming neighborhood. Play devil's advocate with yourself. None of these suggestions are new, but research hadn't indicated how much we needed it until recently. Remember your bias and use it wisely. It can save your life and make it great or cause you harm. It's your choice.

Tali Sharot: The optimism bias | TED via Swissmiss

Photos by billdayone (Shutterstock), IkazNarsis (Shutterstock), Blend Images, Ondine Goldswain, and Sergiy Kuzmin.

Adam Dachis

U.S. health officials want all baby boomers to get tested for hepatitis C.MIKE STOBBE

In One Ear And Down The Other

Quite a few municipalities have managed to ban the practice of giving out non-biodegradeable plastic bags at checkout, including three of Hawaii's four counties. Last month, the Honolulu County Council passed its own ban, making Hawaii the first state where single-use plastic bags in stores are verboten.

It's important to note that this isn't a statewide ban, like California tried and failed a few years ago. It just means that each county has passed its own separate ban.

There are some useful exceptions, including: dry-cleaning bags, bags for live fish, door-hanger bags, prescription drug bags, and (thank goodness) dog waste bags. Retailers have until 2015 to comply and get rid of their existing bag stocks.

Should Plastic Shopping Bags Be Banned?

Plastic Bags Banned on All Hawaiian Islands [Plastic Bag Ban Report]

Exercise is often hard enough on its own, but you make it even harder on yourself if you're not practicing good breathing techniques while you're working out. Proper breathing delivers the right amount of oxygen so you can exercise longer with less effort. Fitness blog The Greatist breaks down how to do it for several popular exercises.

Depending on the intensity of a workout you should have a different breathing technique. For running, the Greatist suggests two different techniques to try:

While there's no golden rule, many runners find it most comfortable to take one breath for every two foot strikes, says Alison McConnell, a breathing expert and author of Breathe Strong Perform Better. This means taking two steps (one left, one right) while breathing in, and two steps while breathing out - also known as the 2:2 rhythm.

That's great for running, but it's a totally different approach when you're strength training:

Using the bench press as an example, exhale slowly and continuously while pressing the bar, then inhale at the top of the life or on the return. Just remember that once that barbell is pressed, the weight doesn't vanish, McConnell explains, so be sure to keep the core engaged to protect the spine, similar to preparing for impact during contact sports.

The lesson is that proper breathing is just as important as proper technique. Doing it wrong can lead to decreased performance and side stitches. Hit up The Greatist for more information on the exercises above as well as breathing techniques for high-intensity sports and yoga.

How to Breathe for Every Type of Exercise | The Greatist

Photo by Tony Alter.

Thorin Klosowski

If you were one of the Verizon Wireless customers who was allowed to continue their unlimited data plans after the company switched to tiered pricing last summer, we have some bad news. The company says it will be eliminating grandfathered plans as it rolls out LTE service.

Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said customers currently enjoying unlimited 3G data access will have to switch to VZW's soon-to-launch data-share plan when they move to 4G LTE service.

Explained Shammo:
LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan.

"Everyone will be on data share," said Shammo. "A lot of our 3G base is on unlimited... [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share."

This is precisely why we opposed the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and wireless consolidation in general. Consumers need to have options when companies decide to pull the rug out from under them. Now at the very least, people still have a small handful of national options.

Verizon will kill 'grandfathered' unlimited data plans, push users to data share [Fierce Wireless]

Verizon CFO says grandfathered unlimited plans on the way out
[Engadget]

News flash: you can't work out by not working out. As we predicted in November, the Federal Trade Commission has settled with shoemaker Skechers over claims that their rounded-bottom Shape-Up shoes helped wearers to tone their lower-body muscles and lose weight. These claims were all over ads and promotional material for the shoes, including an ad that aired during the 2011 Super Bowl.

Shape-Ups ads featured the endorsement of an "independent" chiropractor who claimed to have conducted a study that proved the superior health benefits of wearing Shape-Ups compared to regular old flat-bottomed sneakers. According to the FTC, there were a few problems with this claim: first, the studies didn't prove what the good doctor claimed, he just happens to be the spouse of a Skechers marketing executive, and the company paid for that not-so-independent study.

Here's a sample ad provided during the FTC press conference on the settlement today:

In the future, Skechers can't make claims about any of the following in their athletic shoe ads unless they're backed up with actual research:

• claims about strengthening;
• claims about weight loss; and
• claims about any other health or fitness-related benefits from toning shoes, including claims regarding caloric expenditure, calorie burn, blood circulation, aerobic conditioning, muscle tone, and muscle activation

Did you buy these shoes? You can check out the info and even file for a refund at the FTC's site for the settlement.

PREVIOUSLY:
Skechers Prepping For Possible FTC Settlement Over Shape-Up Ads

Christina Perri — A Thousand years (Piano/Cello Cover) - ThePianoGuys by ThePianoGuys Download MP3 here - http://bit.ly/J2ehke Download from iTunes — http://bit.ly/Kelyx2 Become a FOUNDER of ThePianoGuys and get our LIMITED EDITION ALBUM (YouTube Hits Vol. 1) here: http://bit.ly/z86Xhk SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE Channel here: http://bit.ly/AdCMZz Follow ThePianoGuys: Facebook: http://on.fb.me/zLP2kL Twitter: http://bit.ly/A0QwUl Story behind the song: Our kids give us great inspiration for our music. When Jon’s 17 year old daughter said how much she loved this song, Jon decided to try it. He experienced a flood of inspiration. “Never has a piano part come together this fast” Jon says. Steve experienced similar inspiration while composing the cello parts. Since the lyrics suggest a bride walking towards the groom in a ceremony we thought we would include a quote from the Bridal Chorus by Wagner in the climax of the song. (It is carefully disguised). As it seems to always go, Paul and Tel didn’t find the spot until they spent 9 hours driving around southern Utah the day before the shoot looking. After getting a little discouraged by not finding anything that great, they just happened to check out a little hidden spot right near Baker Dam and thought it was perfect for the song. The next morning we all loaded up the piano and headed out there to film, but after getting the Truck and Trailer stuck and waiting for the sun to move, we didn’t get started filming until that evening having about 3 hours of light. It was so fun to film and play in the middle of the trees! Credits A Thousand Years written by CHRISTINA PERRI, DAVID HODGES Published by SUMMIT BASE CAMP FILM MUSIC, EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC, CHRISTINA PERRI D/B/A MISS PERRI LANE PUBLISHING Arrangement produced by Jon Schmidt Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt, & Steven Sharp Nelson Performed by Jon Schmidt: piano Steven Sharp Nelson: acoustic cello, & cello-percussion Music recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studio Video produced by Paul Anderson & Tel Stewart

X Factor just got an infusion of A-list talent on its judge's panel. Both Britney Spears and Demi Lovato have been confirmed as judges on the reality singing show headed up by Simon Cowell. While Spears was paid handsomely with a $15 million salary, it is unknown what Lovato will rake in. Spears and(author unknown)

We watch a lot of real estate shows here at Consumerist HQ, especially the many variations on the "show three places and pretend to pick the one that you're already in escrow on." And while home buyers always remember to ask, "Are there HOA fees?", they don't ask the more important questions, like "Why in the world am I buying a place with an HOA?"

This is because homeowners associations, while often well-intentioned, can tend to be directed by a small group of homeowners with an obsessive need for uniformity and a dislike for dissent.

Sadly, those homeowners who don't throw a fit when their neighbors paint their shutters robin's egg blue instead of cornflower are also likely to be the last ones to vie for control of an HOA.

Thus, you end up with the following examples/reasons of why you may want to think twice, and probably thrice, before buying a home within the dominion of an HOA:

9. They think it's fine to tell a disabled war veteran he needs to add 700 square-feet to his specially designed home.

8. They will waste hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to rid the neighborhood of a pick-up truck.

7. They will create new forms of math to make sure no one dares put up the wrong Christmas lights.

6. They think your wee flower garden is an act of treason worthy of $6,000 in fines.

5. They will try to foreclose on your house over $267.58.

4. They will call private security guards to forcibly remove tenants who are legally occupying a home.

3. They will threaten to sue you if you use the neighborhood's name on a Facebook page.

2. They want your dog's DNA -- and they want you to pay for the test.

1. They tried to mess with Steven Seagal.

Coming soon to a store near you: sunscreens with labels that are easier to understand. The Food and Drug Administration plans to give manufacturers until mid-December to make all the changes, but many products already have the new labeling. Here are some of the biggest changes, which will also apply to moisturizers and cosmetic products that contain a sun-protection factor (SPF):

"Broad spectrum" will really mean something. The SPF value indicates a sunscreen's protection from ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, which is the primary cause of sunburn. But now sunscreens that claim broad-spectrum protection will have to prove they also protect against ultraviolet A radiation, which ages skin and contributes to skin cancer, as well as UVB rays. The FDA says sunscreens must pass a new critical wavelength test for UVA protection.

Water-resistance claims will be more specific. Sunscreens will now have to list on the front whether they're effective for 40 minutes or 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. The FDA says you'll no longer see words like "sweatproof" or "waterproof" on the label because all sunscreens eventually wash off. All sunscreens will be labeled "reapply at least every two hours".

The term "sunblock" will be banned. The FDA won't allow that claim on bottles because it overstates sunscreen's effectiveness.

Sun protection information will be listed on the back. Inside the Drug Facts box new information will explain that sun exposure increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. Sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher that also pass the new broad-spectrum test will be able to say that they reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun. (Our sunscreen experts recommend using sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.) Sunscreens that are not broad spectrum or that have an SPF of less than 15 must say they help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.

All-day and instant protection will need to be proved. Sunscreen manufacturers will have to prove to the FDA that their product provides all-day or instant protection before they can make those claims. Our experts say you should apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before going outside so your skin can absorb it.

SPF 50+ might be the highest SPF you'll see on labels. The FDA says it doesn't have enough clinical data to prove that sunscreens with SPF values higher than 50 provide additional protection. But it has not yet made a decision about future labeling requirements.

Meanwhile, find out how 18 top-selling sunscreens performed in our latest tests (available to subscribers) and which ingredients you should be on the lookout for.

Police in Fort Lee, N.J. want you to watch where you're walking -- and since doodling around on your phone, texting/emailing/Tweet/whatevering can cause people to
totally tune out their surroundings and cause a disruption, $85 jaywalking tickets will be applied to pedestrians caught doing so.

ABC News says the town has had three fatal pedestrian-involved accidents this year, and the chief of police thinks cracking down on "dangerous walkers" will make the town safer.

"It's a big distraction. Pedestrians aren't watching where they are going and they are not aware," he said.

Of course, there are those in the town who don't think the new practice is so great, complaining that the tickets are "a lot of money." So far 117 tickets have been issued, after a grace period in March where police officers handed out pamphlets.

Texting while walking banned in New Jersey Town [ABC News]

Leftover wax in a used candle jar is notoriously tricky to clean out, but throwing the candle in a freezer to loosen up the residue may just do the trick.

J. Angel posted this tip on Snapguide, and explains that the freezer will cause the wax to contract from the sides of the jar, making it much easier to scrape out with a dull knife. Once most of the wax is out, a few quick swabs with baby oil or vinegar should clear up any residue, leaving you with a perfectly good jar for countertop storage.

Remove Residual Candle Wax From Candle Jars | Snapguide

Shep McAllister

iOS: SloPro unlocks the true potential of the video camera in the iPhone 4S, allowing it to shoot 60 frames per second and create stunning slow motion footage.

If you've ever tried playing video from your smartphone in slow motion, you know how jittery it can get. SloPro doubles the frame rate of footage on the 4S, meaning the footage can be played at half speed while still looking great. It's not a software trick or frame blending technique; it really does work as advertised (though only at 720p). After you capture footage within the app, you can use the built-in editor to select the slow-motion speed, in and out points, and the sections of the video to slow down.

The app is free, and will allow you to upload your watermarked footage to various social networks. A $1.99 in-app upgrade removes the watermark and unlocks the ability to export to the Camera Roll or even send raw 60FPS footage to iTunes for editing on your desktop.

SloPro | Via The Verge

Shep McAllister

If you have fond memories of earning bonus Dropbox space during last year's Dropquest, you'll want to check out the 2012 sequel that just went live.

Dropbox's official blog promises the challenges in Dropquest II will be even harder, but anyone who completes the hunt will be rewarded with at least 1GB of free space. If you're among the first to finish, they'll also be awarding hoodies, shirts, and tons of bonus space on top of the standard completion bonus.

Dropbox warns that the use of support forums from around the web won't be tolerated this year, but they'll be releasing periodic hints on their official blog. If you don't have the time to solve puzzles, you can always grab some some free bonus space by sharing your love of Dropbox on social networks.

Dropquest II: The Future Is Now | The Dropbox Blog

Shep McAllister

Anyone with an aging iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad knows that the device's once-instantaneous response to a home button tap can slow down over time. Luckily, there's an easy way to recalibrate the button and restore its factory performance.

Roberto Garza posted a Snapguide detailing the simple procedure, which doesn't take more than 15 seconds. It may sound like snake oil, but the comments on the page are almost universally positive, so it's certainly worth a try if your device suffers from this affliction.

Calibrate Your Home Button | Snapguide

Shep McAllister

Windows/OS X: Cubby is a new cloud syncing service with one major difference from its competition: It doesn't have any storage limits when you're syncing from computer to computer.

Cubby, from the makers of your favorite remote desktop service, LogMeIn, is a file-syncing service just like Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive, and other cloud storage services out there, but it has two major differences that set it apart:

1. You can sync any folder—not just your main "cubby" folder—to the cloud and your other machines. Just right-click any folder and tell it to sync with Cubby. No symlinks, checkbox menus, or other tweaks necessary.
2. You get 5GB of storage in the cloud (that is, accessible from your browser), but you can sync an unlimited amount of data between your computers. That means if you want to sync your giant iTunes library, for example, you can do so without paying a cent.

This alone makes Cubby an extremely attractive Dropbox alternative, especially since it also includes many of the other features that make Dropbox great—like revision history, recovery of deleted files, iPhone and Android apps, and collaboration with others on certain "cubbies". Of course, there's no reason you can't use both, either—Dropbox for all your cloud syncing needs, and Cubby for your computer-to-computer needs.

Cubby is invite-only right now, but the first 2,000 Lifehacker readers to click the link below and sign up get instant access without having to wait. So grab your invite before they're all gone!

Cubby Beta

Whitson Gordon

Stuck in an economic rut? Maybe a move could give you a boost, says a new study, which found that the more economically mobile citizens of the U.S. live in places like New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. If you're living in the South, well, that money ladder is harder to climb.

A study by the Pew Center on the States found that those living in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Utah had a better chance of climbing that economic ladder. The worst states to advance your fortunes were found to be Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.

You could up your chances of grabbing a piece of that money pie just by moving, says the study -- one-third of Americans who live in a different state from where they were born were more likely to be upwardly mobile.

The study drew from U.S. Census and Social Security data from around 65,000 people in all 50 states over a 10-year period. It analyzed three things -- individuals' earnings growth, that growth relative to others in their state and state-wide economic mobility growth compared to national averages.

"Where you live matters for your economic mobility prospects," study author Erin Currier told ABC News, adding that the study didn't look at why the states performed how they did, but that past research suggests that higher education, savings and assets, and neighborhood prosperity or poverty during childhood drive economic advancement.

Want More Money? Move to the Mid-Atlantic or New England, Study Finds [ABC News]

If you and your loved one are looking down the road toward living out your golden years together, be prepared to have a pile of cash stashed away to cover your medical bills.

Fidelity Investments has released its annual projection on health care costs for retirees and calculated that a couple retiring now will need $240,000 to get through their remaining decades. That's an increase from last year's projection of $230,000.

The bank had cut the number for the 2011 report, citing portions of the Affordable Care Act that should reduce seniors' out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs. But Fidelity says medical costs are still going up, thus the rebound from last year's unprecedented dip.

"As long as health care cost trends exceed personal income growth and economic growth, health care will still be a growing burden for the country as a whole and for individuals," says Sunit Patel, a senior vice president for benefits consulting at Fidelity.

A bit of a silver lining: The 4% year-over-year increase is less than the average 6% yearly increase the Fidelity reports have shown since 2002.

Retired couples may need $240,000 for health care [AJC.com]

Bring a bottle of water with you to your next exam and you may boost your test score, according to a new study from the University of East London. Students who brought water with them did better on an exam than those who forgot their water bottles.

The researchers accounted for the 447 undergraduate students' prior grades, so it's not just a matter of smarter students being more likely to bring a bottle of water.

Lead researcher Dr. Chris Pawson explains there may be a couple of reasons for this link between bringing water (and presumably drinking it) and better grades:

• Drinking water might have a physiological effect on the brain's cognitive functions. (Previous studies have shown that a dehydration level of just 1% of your body weight reduces your thinking functions, so it makes sense that being well-hydrated is important for your mental performance.)
• It's possible also that drinking water can reduce anxiety during test-taking. Psychology Today explains: "By offering a momentary distraction, [taking a sip of water] can break a chain of thoughts and free the mind to focus on the task, leading to better performance."

Drinking water might also also just active a placebo affect, Psychology Today suggests. If you believe water boosts your brain power, that belief alone could improve your performance.

Either way, don't forget that bottle of water on your next test.

Bring water into exams to improve your grade | University of East London via Psychology Today

Photo by Kevin Vertucio

Melanie Pinola