The rise in popularity of the term “affluenza” can be traced back to the late 1990s and the work of writer John de Graaf. A combination of the words influenza and affluent, there are a number of different definitions for the term affluenza. De Graaf referred to it as a contagious illness causing debt, overwork, and addiction to spending. Others connected it to a feeling of lethargy and disconnection from society experienced by the rich, young, and idle — even when they spend a lot of money to enjoy themselves. ( ① ) Another way to understand affluenza is as a serious social condition that results in people working harder to acquire more possessions, often leaving them in serious debt.
( ② ) The causes of affluenza are often rooted in capitalism and the American Dream. There is an assumption today that money can solve problems and buy happiness. Moreover, people have developed a sense of entitlement and an inability to delay gratification, both characteristics typical of affluenza. ( ③ ) Individuals across all socioeconomic classes can suffer from the illusion that money can guarantee happiness, thereby ignoring financial difficulties to buy what they cannot really afford. Such attitudes were especially evident in the subprime mortgage crisis that fuelled the economic recession of 2008. Many people, convinced of their right to have things, fed their urge to keep up with the Joneses by acquiring homes they simply could not afford.
Symptoms of affluenza can be witnessed across society as people engage in addictive and compulsive behaviors to acquire wealth and possessions. ( ④ ) Workaholism, depression, a false sense of entitlement, and an inability to delay gratification are evident everywhere as individuals measure their self-worth by their material acquisitions. But there is hope for change. Affluenza can be successfully treated if we address it openly and create more balanced expectations. Awareness and education can help people use money in more appropriate ways. Ultimately, we need to realize that being a successful person is about more than the money you have and the things you own.
As you go about your business in the modern world, you may not pay attention to what you and the people around you are doing. But if you closely observe the actions of others, you might be surprised and disturbed that there are a lot of IDIOTs, or Impulsive Digital Isolationist Tendencies, to be found.
It seems that people everywhere are obsessed with their smartphones. They text, talk, tweet, Facebook and a whole lot more. And they have a look of urgency and disconnection from the world around them. Next time you are in a restaurant or sitting in your car at a traffic light, look around and you'll probably see people texting or talking on their phones with little regard for the people around them. The name for this obsession with, and fear of being without, our smartphones is known as “nomophobia,” short for “no-mobile-phobia.” This growing reliance on smartphones is similar to drug addiction and other compulsive behaviors.
It's become apparent that we are on our way to being a society of IDIOTs. We are tricking ourselves into believing that digital communication is ____(A)____ to face-to-face conversations and connections. A similar disconnect can be seen in reading on the Internet. Instead of becoming immersed in the pages of a book, we constantly switch tasks. So how do you know you're becoming an IDIOT? Maybe you're looking at your emails on your phone in bed or eating your dinner with your phone in your hand. Or perhaps you text while driving or take your phone with you to the bathroom.
We're living in a world where many people are becoming incapable of holding a normal conversation for more than a few minutes. Whether this becomes a permanent reality really depends on us. Can we turn off our phones for some part of the day or for one day on the weekend? Such small steps may be our best chance of saving ourselves from becoming IDIOTs.
Have you ever downloaded a song from the Internet for free, or shared a song with a friend? Did you know that this was probably illegal? According to copyright law, it is illegal to copy, share, or change creative works like songs, books, movies, or software. Supporters of copyright say that it is important because creative people need a reason to keep creating. Copyright allows people to monetize their work because other people have to pay to use it.
In the mid-1980s, Richard Stallman invented an alternative to copyright, which became known as copyleft. Copyleft makes creative works free to use. The first use of copyleft was with software. Some software developers wanted other people to be free to make changes to their software so that it could get better. Under copyleft, people could copy, share, or change the software as they wished.
Copyleft values people’s creative freedoms. Modern technology gives us all the ability to be creative, a freedom that is restricted by copyright. Advocates of copyleft believe that creativity should always be free, for example, to make a new version of a song, or to change some software to make it better for us and for others.
____(A)____, copyleft does not give complete freedom. The copyleft license requires that all new versions of works must also be subject to the copyleft license. This means that people who make new versions of works cannot copyright or sell them. They must allow other people to change, copy, and share the new versions. Also, the name of the original creator must always be credited.
In short, copyleft aims to allow everybody to be creative. At the same time, it protects creative people’s right to be identified as the creators of their works.
When it comes to group problem-solving, people are quick to voice the benefits of brainstorming, but there may be a more effective tool for generating ideas in the shape of “brainwriting.” Recent research suggests that brainwriting leaves brainstorming in its wake, resulting in more than twice the ideas generated by its more famous cousin. Moreover, it’s nowhere near as tricky as brainstorming to initiate effectively. ( ① )
One of the main reasons why brainstorming is so popular is the belief that working in groups yields better results than working in isolation, but this assumption may be very wrong. The reality is that brainstorming has fundamental problems that are hard to remedy. First, because only one person can speak at a time, other participants are blocked from presenting their ideas as they arise. ( ② )
By contrast, in brainwriting, each group member thinks and records ideas individually without any ____(A)____. This seemingly minor difference leads to a huge change in the effectiveness of idea generation. Typically, participants sit around a table and receive a sheet of paper with the same statement written at the top. Each person has three minutes to record three ideas on the sheet of paper. Similar to brainstorming the ideas are not edited, but now they are being recorded in private. When the time limit is over, each participant passes the sheet of the paper to the left, where it’s read by another member before a new three-minute round begins. ( ③ )
The number of concepts produced using this method can be astonishing. Since ideas are generated simultaneously, group members never block each other. Participants still get to be inspired by, and build on, each other’s ideas. ( ④ ) In this way, brainwriting retains the benefits of brainstorming without its shortcomings. Ideas are recorded as they arise, nothing is lost, and everybody gets to contribute regardless of personality type.
An old damaged car with an open window and no license plate sits in a street. What will happen to it in a week? Broken windows theory has the answer.
Broken windows theory began in America in the 1980s. Researchers found that if there is a broken window in a building, people soon start to break other windows. This is because the broken window sends a message that the owner of the building and the people of the neighborhood don’t care that it is broken. Small things like broken windows, or even litter on the street, can be a sign.
Following this ‘broken windows’ theory, the New York police department decided to focus their crime-fighting efforts on minor crimes, hoping to prevent more serious crimes. The New York police took a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to petty crimes such as skipping subway fares, graffiti, and littering. Over the period these measures were in force, crime in New York reduced significantly. In the first year alone, the murder rate fell by 19%, and car crime went down by 15%.
The theory’s applications are not limited to the fight against crime. It has also given businesspeople some food for thought. A company’s image — the message its appearance sends out — is a crucial element of its success or failure. If it sends out a message that it is careless or indifferent, customers will think twice before using the company’s products or services. Small signals make a big difference in business, too.
Interestingly, broken windows theory can also impact us personally. If our home is messy, we tend to feel uncomfortable and out of control. Most of us would agree that life is usually happier when we feel in control.
You’ve just opened your email account to be met by the usual torrent of project, travel and junk mail, but something is different — you’re holding your breath. As you consider which email you’ll answer first and which ones can wait, your steady breaths of a few moments ago have given way to a more tense reaction. ① It seems like you’ve got a breathing condition.
Email apnea is the name of the phenomenon you’re experiencing. ② Originally presented by researcher Linda Stone, it describes a physiological reaction that people have to reading email. Specifically, it focuses on the relationship between people and technology. Stone noticed that she was holding her breath as she was reading through her email account one day. She became aware that while her mind was thinking of how to prioritize her emails, at the same time she was, in fact, holding her breath. Looking around at her colleagues, Stone noticed they too were breathing irregularly. ③ The working conditions in offices tend to cause office workers to have health problems, such as irregular breathing and dry eyes. They were holding their breaths, breathing in a shallow manner, or even breathing rapidly while accessing their emails, checking their mobile phones, or using other technology-based communication tools.
Researching this behavior more deeply, Stone found that irregular breathing could have a damaging effect on human health. Namely, it heightens stress, as disrupting your breathing is connected with the vagus nerve, which is a part of what is commonly known as the animal brain. This is the part of the human brain that controls the fight-or-flight response common to most animals. ④ In effect, our biochemistry is negatively affected because the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitric oxide is upset as the body becomes acidic.
Millions of people visit Vatican City every year to see the stunning Sistine Chapel. The chapel is most famous for its ceiling, which is covered in huge paintings — or frescoes — showing nine stories from the Bible. Together, these paintings form one of the world’s greatest artworks.
What was surprising at the time of its creation was that this masterpiece was created by an artist who was better known for his sculptures: Michelangelo. In fact, when Pope Julius II first asked him to paint the ceiling, Michelangelo refused, preferring to stick to his sculptures. However, pressure from the Pope eventually persuaded Michelangelo to accept the commission, and so he began to work on his first great painting in 1508.
The project was long and difficult, lasting more than four years. Michelangelo had no experience in creating frescoes, so he had to learn as he went along. Working inside the chapel also posed problems. At 68 feet above the ground, the ceiling was so high that special scaffolding was needed. As if this wasn’t problematic enough, the ceiling was moldy, which made regular plaster crumble. To address this issue, Michelangelo’s assistant invented a new kind of plaster that stayed dry.
Overcoming all these obstacles, Michelangelo worked almost completely alone to complete the painting. His attention to the fine details of the work was so great that his eyesight deteriorated, and his body became twisted and deformed due to his constant leaning on top of the scaffolding. In silence, he worked alone, often covered in paint that dripped down on him from the ceiling.
By November 1512, the work was finally complete, and Michelangelo’s fame as one of the world’s greatest painters had begun.
| The Sistine Chapel Ceiling | one of the greatest (1) in the world |
| Creation | by Michelangelo, who was more famous for his (2) |
| Obstacles | no fresco experience / high and moldy (3) |
| Completion | took more than four years / left Michelangelo with bad (4) and a deformed body |