Dim lighting sparks creativity

Want to encourage innovative thinking? Try lowering the lights. “Darkness increases freedom from constraints, which in turn promotes creativity,” according to German research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

In a series of experiments, 114 University of Stuttgart students solved creative problems in different lighting. Those in dimmer environments solved significantly more problems, and said they felt less inhibited.

Even more intriguing, researchers found that just the mental image of dimmer lighting – by taking five minutes to describe being in the dark – improves creative performance.

Source: Pacific Standard: The Science of Society

Middle-skill health careers boom

It’s no secret that as the baby boomers age, medical care providers are going to need a massively expanded workforce to meet demand. Of the top 25 fastest growing occupations, 17 are related to healthcare, and careers like home health aides and physical therapy assistants are expected to grow by nearly 50 percent by 2022.

While some health professions require many years of higher ed, quite a few healthcare careers are so-called “middle skills jobs,” requiring certificates or two-year degrees. Earnings for these jobs are often upwards of $50,000. At CareerOneStop.org, a Labor Department job search site, search for state wage data, employment trends, and more.

Source: CareerOneStop.org

Break your smartphone habit

If you’ve got a smartphone, chances are you check it compulsively. You may not even be conscious of the habit. Recent studies suggest that, on average, we check our phones between 110 to 150 times a day. That can add up to a huge timewaster and concentration sapper at work and beyond.

Want to cut back? Turn off non-essential notifications in your settings. If that doesn’t help, you may need to uninstall some of the peskier apps. If you want uninterrupted time to concentrate, you might want to activate Airplane Mode rather than simply muting your phone.

Need more help? Several apps, like BreakFree, can monitor your activity and impose caps on it if needed. Set up an auto-reply for text messages, and turn off notifications during set times of the day and night. BreakFree, StayOnTask, and AppDetox are all good options for Android phones.

Source: fieldguide.gizmodo.com

On the prowl for a good job?

Searching for jobs and braving interviews can feel like a series of bad blind dates if you don’t know what you want out of an employer. To find a good fit, you need to first find your purpose. Ask yourself these questions:

• What job would I be excited to share with others?
• What gets me out of bed in the morning?
• If money weren’t an issue, what would I do with my life?
• What do I do best?
• What am I most curious about?

Source: “Why you can’t find a job you love,” LouisEfron.com

New data on community college student success

The average community college graduation rate jumped from 21 to 38 percent in 2014, according to the Department of Education. The increase is due to a change in the way the department tracks students, lengthening the time frame considered “normal” for completion. Many community college students take longer because they attend part-time.

A separate study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that 73 percent of community college students who transferred to public universities completed their degrees. This is far higher than the 63 percent completion rate for students who started at four-year schools.