What I’ve learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0057

2801.  Limiting the choices we have to make can also help lower the barrier to positive change;

2802.  Researchers have discovered that too much choice similarly saps our reserves.  Their studies showed that with every additional choice people are asked to make, their physical stamina, ability to perform numerical calculations, persistence in the face of failure, and overall focus drop dramatically.  And these don’t have to be difficult decisions either.  Yet every one of these innocuous choices depletes our energy a little further, until we just don’t have enough to continue with the positive habit we’re trying to adopt;

2803.  Whether you’re trying to change your habits at work or at home, the key to reducing choice is setting and following a few simple rules.  Psychologists call these kinds of rules “second-order decisions,” because they are essentially decisions about when to make decisions, like deciding ahead of time when, where, and how;

2804.  In his book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains how setting rules in advance can free us from the constant barrage of willpower depleting choices that make a real difference in our lives;

2805.  Rules are especially helpful during the first few days of a behavior-changing venture, when it’s easier to stray off course.  Gradually, as the desired action becomes more habitual, we can become more flexible;

2806.  The key to permanent, positive change is to create habits that automatically pay dividends, without continued concerted effort or extensive reserves of willpower.  The key to creating these habits is ritual, repeated practice, until the key to daily practice is to put your desired actions as close to the path of least resistance as humanly possible.  Identify the activation energy – the time, the choices, the mental and physical effort they require – and then reduce it.  If you can cut the activation energy for those habits that lead to success, even by as little as 20 seconds at a time, it won’t be long before you start reaping their benefits;

2807.  Jeff Fisher (the head coach of the St. Louis Rams) (or at least someone who looks like him) washes his hands after using the restroom;

2808.  Don’t forget to put sun block on the back of your hands;

2809.  The women in Scottsdale are rather attractive;

2810.  The bartenders and waitresses at the Bottled Blonde (BottledBlondeAZ.com) in (Old Town) Scottsdale are incredible;

2811.  What’s the last thing you’d expect to see at a (Scottsdale) bar on a random Monday night?  The answer is: A woman whipping out her breasts and lighting matches stuck to her nipples;

2812.  The Cactus League attendance record is 14,840 set in a game between the (Colorado) Rockies and (Chicago) Cubs on March 11^th 2014 at Cubs Park;

2813.  Autumn likes tequila (specifically Patrón);

2814.  Autumn likes her hair pulled . . . and her neck bitten;

2815.  Autumn’s a lip biter;

2816.  Autumn likes Jameson;

2817.  Autumn likes to go camping . . . but she hates spiders;

2818.  The Excalibur’s lobby smells like a mix between a strip club and cigarettes;

2819.  The “RM style cioppino” (i.e., calamarata pasta, mussels, clams, king crab and shrimp) at (Rick Moonen’s) RM Seafood (RMSeafood.com) in (Las) Vegas is rather tasty;

2820.  (Men’s) college basketball is more exciting when you place a few bets (down) at the sports book;

2821.  The MGM Grand Garden Arena doesn’t seem all that big, but it does seat 12,916 for the Pac-12 (men’s basketball) tournament;

2822.  The Pac-12 (men’s basketball) tournament has a pretty good atmosphere even for a so-so matchup like the (California) Golden Bears against the (Colorado) Buffaloes;

2823.  The “Australian Bee Gees” (actually) sound like the “Bee Gees;”

2824.  (Colorado) Buffaloes fans bring it.  They’re loud;

2825.  UCLA has the best-looking cheerleaders (that I’ve ever seen in person) hands down;

2826.  The chinois chicken salad (with candied cashews, crisp wontons and Chinese mustard vinaigrette) at the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (WolfgangPuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3910) in (Las) Vegas is rather tasty too;

2827.  (University of) New Mexico fans are (really) passionate about their Lobos.  They’ll come out in force driving hundreds of miles (just) to see them play;

2828.  Apparently, the key to getting into (Las) Vegas clubs is to (be a woman and) get on the guest list ahead of time;

2829.  When we encounter an unexpected challenge or threat, the only way to save ourselves is to hold on tight to the people around us and not let go;

2830.  70 years of evidence that our relationships with other people matter, and matter more than anything else in the world;

2831.  Like food and air, we seem to need social relationships to thrive.  That’s because when we have a community of people we can count on – spouse, family, friends and colleagues – we multiply our emotional, intellectual, and physical resources.  We bounce back from setbacks faster, accomplish more and feel a greater sense of purpose;

2832.  Social interactions jolt us with positivity in the moment; then, each of these single connections strengthens a relationship over time, which raises our happiness baseline permanently;

2833.  In a study appropriately titled “Very Happy People,” researchers sought out the characteristics of the happiest 10 percent among us.  Turns out, there was one – and only one – characteristic that distinguished the happiest 10 percent from everybody else: the strength of their social relationships;

2834.  The social correlation between social support and happiness was 0.7.  Most psychology findings are considered significant when they hit 0.3;

2835.  Evolutionary psychologists explain that the innate need to affiliate and form social bonds has been literally wired into our biology.  When we make a positive social connection, the pleasure-inducing hormone oxytocin is released into our bloodstream, immediately reducing anxiety and improving concentration and focus.  Each social connection also bolsters our cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and immune systems, so that the more connections we make over time, the better we function;

2836.  We have such a biological need for social support, our bodies can literally malfunction without it.  For instance, lack of social contact can add 30 points to an adult’s blood pressure reading;

2837.  A national survey of 24,000 workers found that men and women with few social ties were two to three times more likely to suffer from major depression than people with strong social bonds;

2838.  One study found that people who received emotional support during the six months after a heart attack were three times more likely to survive.  Another found that participating in a breast cancer support group actually doubled women’s life expectancy post-surgery;

2839.  Researchers have found that social support has as much effect on life expectancy as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and regular physical activity;

2840.  Studies show that each positive interaction employees have during the course of the work day actually helps return the cardiovascular system back to resting levels (a benefit often termed “work recovery”), and that over the long haul, employees with more of these interactions become protected from the negative effects of job strain.  Each connection also lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress, which helps employees recover faster from work-related stress and makes them better prepared to handle it in the future;

2841.  Studies have found that people with strong relationships are less likely to perceive situations as stressful in the first place;

2842.  Investing in social connections means that you’ll find it easier to interpret adversity as a path to growth and opportunity; and when you do have to experience the stress, you’ll bounce back from it faster and better protected against its long-term negative effects;

2843.  In a longitudinal study of men over the age of 50, those with a high rate of stressful life experiences suffered from a far higher rate of mortality over the next seven years.  But the same study found that this higher rate of mortality held true for everyone except the men who said they had high levels of emotional support;

2844.  The emergency row on a plane has a ridiculous amount of legroom;

2845.  Even in an extraordinarily competitive environment, we are more equipped to handle challenges and obstacles when we pool the resources of those around us and capitalize on even the smallest moments we spend interacting with others;

2846.  Just as social support is a prescription for happiness and an antidote to stress, it is also a prime contributor of achievement in the workplace;

2847.  Researchers found that social bonds weren’t just predictive of overall happiness, but also of eventual career achievement, occupational success, and income;

2848.  Thomas Edison thrived in group settings, and when he invented the light bulb, he did so with the help of 30 assistants.  Edison was a social creature, not a lone wolf.  And when it comes to society’s most innovative thinkers, so often assumed to be eccentric, solitary geniuses, he was not the exception to the rule;

2849.  On study of 212 employees found that social connections at work predicted more individual learning behavior, which means that the more socially connected employees felt, the more they took the time to figure out ways to improve their own efficiency, or their own skill set;

2850.  When over a thousand highly successful professional men and women were interviewed as they approached retirement and asked what had motivated them the most, throughout their careers, overwhelmingly they placed work friendships above both financial gain and individual status;