conversation – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

In conversation: Steven B. Smith on the importance of Abraham Lincoln — then and now

By Guest PostApril 17, 2015Politicsabraham lincoln, american history, cell stiffness, conversation, divergent thinking, god, gregory feist, marijuana and mind, measuring creativity, network business systems, political science, psychotropic properties, rural america, strain of marijuana

In commemoration of the death of President Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1865, YaleNews spoke with Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Government and Philosophy and a scholar on the writings of Abraham Lincoln.

Smith, who edited and co-authored “The Writings of Abraham Lincoln,” discussed what made the nation’s 16^th president an exemplary leader, why Lincoln’s writings are still important, and how Lincoln has taught us that language and principles matter in politics. (more…)

Breaking a Genocide’s Silence: Rwandan Storytelling Exhibit Centerpiece of New National Archives

By Guest PostOctober 12, 20122 commentsPolitics1994, ann arbor, catalyze, conversation, culture, david wallace, english, for, grenade, hope, kakuze josiane, marriage practices, michigan, mission, mukakayange veronique, national archives, neighbourhood, painful stories, patricia pasick, perpetrator, project, resident, resilience, rwanda history, rwandan, rwandan culture, rwandan genocide, simple question, stories, storycorps, storytelling tradition, strength, university, work history, young person

ANN ARBOR — One of the casualties of the 1994 Rwandan genocide was the culture’s storytelling tradition. Resurrecting it has been the mission of a project called Stories for Hope for the past four years.

Now 99 narratives—conversations between youths and elders—will go on exhibit at the newly built Rwandan National Archives, which were decimated during the violence. On Oct. 12, the archives open again for the first time in nearly two decades. (more…)

Friends with Cognitive Benefits: Mental Function Improves After Certain Kinds of Socializing

By Guest PostOctober 28, 2010Culturebrain functions, cognitive benefits, cognitive flexibility, common life problems, conversation, friends, mental benefits, oscar ybarra, psychologist, social cognitive, social contact, social interactions, social research, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Talking with other people in a friendly way can make it easier to solve common problems, a new University of Michigan study shows. But conversations that are competitive in tone, rather than cooperative, have no cognitive benefits.

“This study shows that simply talking to other people, the way you do when you’re making friends, can provide mental benefits,” said psychologist Oscar Ybarra, a researcher at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). (more…)

Tag Archives: conversation

In conversation: Steven B. Smith on the importance of Abraham Lincoln — then and now

Breaking a Genocide’s Silence: Rwandan Storytelling Exhibit Centerpiece of New National Archives

Friends with Cognitive Benefits: Mental Function Improves After Certain Kinds of Socializing