Twitter Tips For Beginners
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 10th, 2011
Good morning!
Social media has been on the rise for a while now. Are you with it? Are you a member of FaceBook? Do you tweet? Some of my readers have asked me about the “tweet” in the upper right hand corner of my daily posts. So if you’re questioning, what is “Twitter” and how do I “tweet”, here’s something that might just get you going and up to date in the social media realm:
Quick Twitter Tips: A Twitter Guide For Beginners
Twitter can be an intimidating jumble of # symbols, RTs, DMs, @’s, and other code-like shorthand to a Twitter newbie.
To help get the hang of it, we’ve put together a Twitter guide for Twitter beginners with nine tips for how to communicate on Twitter, make sense of it, and make the most of it.
Tricks and tips aside, some users suggest the best thing a new tweeter can do is just start sharing. “Just jump in and start engaging (for lack of better cliche word) – and not just with people you know,” suggested @Agrinavich. @BrunuM suggested Twitter newbies should just “tweet tweet tweet tweet tweet tweet and tweet.”
Have other Twitter tips you’d like to share? Click “Add a slide” or “Send a tip” below to share them with us.
Learn The Lingo
The various Twitter shorthand–from DMs and RTs to #’s–can be puzzling to Twitter newbies.
Here’s the basic terminology you need to know:
“RT” stands for “retweet,” in which a user shares another tweeter’s post, verbatim, while crediting the original tweeter. A retweet appears as “RT @[username]” followed by the tweet.
A “DM” is a direct message–a message up to 140 characters in length that is sent only to another specific user, not to all of a user’s Twitter followers. (A “DM fail” describes direct messages that were supposed to be private, but that were accidentally shared with all of a tweeter’s followers.)
A hashtag is created by using the # symbol ahead of a word or term. As Twitterexplains, a hashtag “is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.” Hashtags might be used to add color or personality to a tweet (like “#fail”) or it could be used to tie a tweet to a specific, broader topic (“#Jan25″). Some use hashtags to track all tweets from a specific event (i.e. “#SXSW”)
Tweet Pictures
Want to share a snapshot of a concert? A screenshot? Or any other sort of media? Twitter enables you to share images (and videos) in tweets by embedding the media as links.
One option is to use third-party image sharing services like Twitpic, Twitgoo, TweetPhoto, Yfrog, and Picktor, which allow you to upload photos or videos, then generate a link to the media (i.e. http://twitpic.com/31vyum) and will send a tweet to your account with that link. Users can also use these services, as well as others like Posterous and Mobypicture, to email or SMS photos and text, then have this information appear as tweets.
Twitter’s mobile apps, such as Twitter for iPhone and Twitter’s Android app, also include photo sharing abilities, allowing users to embed links to photos in their tweets.
Use URL Shorteners And Track Your Stats
Given Twitter’s length limit, each character in a tweet is key. Rather than tweeting unwieldy URLs–which can run 120 characters in length–condense your URLs with a URL shortener before you tweet them.
Services like bit.ly, goo.gl, and is.gd will “compress that address” (See the fastest URL shorteners here). URL shorteners will also display stats on how frequently and over what period of time your link has been clicked. To take advantage of this feature using bit.ly, for example, enter the shortened URL followed by a plus sign to check on the stats (i.e. “http://huff.to/fhlo5M+”)
Hashtags: Use Them, But Don’t Abuse Them
Hashtags (such as “#SXSW” or “#Facebook”) offer a way to “tag” tweets to a particular event, topic, trend, or location, or as a way of adding color or personality to a tweet.
Hashtags can help your tweet get attention and traction–for example, some users might track all tweets from “#TED”–because, as Twitter explains, “if Tweet with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Tweet.”
However, it’s possible to include too many hashtags, which can turn some users off of retweeting (or even reading) a tweet. Three hashtags is generally the maximum number recommended per tweet.
Keep It Short
Sometimes, you really do need all 140 characters to get your point across in a tweet. But other times, it’s worth thinking about how you can keep your tweets a bit pithier, as there can be a downside to using all of your allotted characters: maxing out the 140 character limit makes it harder for other users to retweet your posts, as their retweet will add at several extra characters to the post–RT @yourtwittername. When you tweet, think about leaving som extra room (around 20 characters) to make your post more share-able. Alternately, if you are tweeting several 140 character posts in a row that are all part of a single thought o theme, alert your followers that the tweets are part of a series by including “1/3″ or “2/3″ in the tweet.
Twitter Lists
It can be overwhelming at times to follow the firehose of tweets coming from the varied sources you follow, from friends to politicians, brands to pundits.
Instead of having to absorb a wide range of tweets from the perhaps hundreds of tweeters you follow, users can use Twitter Lists to better organize the content that is shared and zero-in on a particular topic. Twitterers can create their own lists, or follow lists other people have created of tweeps tweeting about everything from Apple news to the unrest in Egypt. For example, for the latest tech news, you might follow HuffPostTech’s “tech journalists” list, or tune in to TIME’s “funny people” list for a laugh.
@ Replies
Want to respond directly to someone’s tweet? Start a conversation on Twitter with an “@ reply” directed at the tweeter you’re replying to.
To send an @ reply, start your tweet with “@username.” For example, if @HuffPostTech posed a question on Twitter about people’s first smartphones, a user could tweet back “@HuffPostTech my first phone was an iPhone.” Note: @ replies will not be viewed by all of your followers. A tweet that begins @username is only visible to a subsection of tweeters. As Twitter explains, “People will only see others’ replies in their home timeline if they are following both the sender and recipient of the update.
@ Mentions
Let other Twitter users know you’re tweeting to them or about them by including users’ Twitter usernames in your tweets. For example, instead of saying “Going to dinner with my friend Bianca,” you might tweet “Going to dinner with my friend @bbosker.”
Mentioning another account by its Twitter username can help that account gain followers–others can see that user’s tweets and profile with just a click–and can also help you get other people’s attention on Twitter.
Many tweeters monitor their @ mentions to see what others are saying to them or about them, and in turn people use @ mentions to communicate with brands, media outlets, individuals, and other accounts. You can see your @mentions by clicking the “@mentions” tab on your homepage on Twitter.
Stay Organized With Third-Party Twitter Clients
Rather than go to Twitter.com to track what’s happening on Twitter, there are a host of third-party Twitter applications that can help you to better monitor–and tweet from–various accounts, as well as keep track of various social media platforms all in one place. Tweetdeck, Seesmic, and Hootsuite are just a few of the options.
*******
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 10th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Till the footsteps soft on the beaten track
Turned in at the darkened door,
With scarce a rap, or the slightest tap,
For he’d been there oft before.
She spoke no words and the darkened room
No change in the form betrayed,
For the greeting kiss with the meeting miss
‘Twas much as the melting maid.
‘Twas a woman’s style and a wifely wile,
To play the maid of the quarters,
She played with the skill and the strength of will,
And the guile of Eve’s own daughters.
She played, and sudden she flashed a torch,
One horrified glance he took;
She dropped the light and she fainted quite;
‘Twas Chin-ti, the Chinese cook!
May 10th, 2011 at 9:20 am
The next big quake will be near Guam. It is a natural occurrence that threatens to actually affect Guam. Advice.
May 10th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Hi Mischa, good one, needed that info on pics. I also use twitterfeed to send bit.ly of my blog posts out to twitter and FaceBook, a word of warning, when you use ‘advanced settings’ to shoot out tweets be cautious about sending too many feeds in short bursts, they get annoying, esp to mobile feed users, it’s bombardment : )
Not good news for Guam above, I’ll be thinking of all you Chamarros. hafa adai.
Bruce, your question to Mischa brought back fond memories of rumbles past for me…
Luv, Zen Lill
May 10th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Keep the Lights On
Gary Shipman
As the nation’s electric power grid grows increasingly antiquated, blackouts are likely to become more common, warn scientists and engineers.
For a home owner, a standby generator could come in handy, especially on a frosty or torrid day or during a storm.
Here are today’s best generators. All of these are installed outdoors and hook directly into your home’s electrical panel, so they will turn on automatically when the power goes out and turn off when the power is restored.
All should be installed by a professional, who will charge about $1,000 to $2,000, depending on the model.
SMALL
Briggs & Stratton EmPower 40220. This unit is powered by natural gas from a gas utility or propane from a tank on your property and provides 7,000 watts.
That’s enough to run your lights, refrigerator, a well if you have one and a gas or oil furnace — but you will not be able to also run a combination of energy-draining appliances, such as central air-conditioning, a clothes dryer and an electric oven.
The generator, which comes with a two-year warranty, includes a built-in diagnostic capability that can detect potential problems with the unit.
If you hook it up to a natural gas line, it will run indefinitely. If it is propane fueled, a 100-gallon tank will last three days. Size: 30.5″ x 22.5″ x 32.5″. Price: About $2,000. 800-270-1408, http://www.briggsandstratton.com.
MIDSIZE
Kohler Power Station 12RES or 15RES. These generators, with output of 12,000 or 15,000 watts, can power an entire home, including a 48,000-Btu central air conditioner.
They are relatively quiet and restore power in as little as 10 seconds, unlike some models that take 25 seconds or more.
They maintain a stable level of power, which is important for powering sensitive electronic devices. Fuel can be natural gas or propane (a 100-gallon propane tank will last two days).
Size: 42.5″ x 30.5″ x 32.5″ for 12RES. Price: About $5,000. 72.8″ x 33.9″ x 36.8″ for 15RES. Price: About $9,000. 800-544-2444, http://www.kohlerpower.com.
MOST POWERFUL
If continuous power is critical due to medical needs or other requirements where even a temporary power cutoff could be catastrophic, diesel generators are best for long-term reliability.
Reason: Diesel engines are built to run an average of 20,000 hours with routine maintenance, versus 1,000 hours or less for natural gas/propane-driven engines. Bonus: Diesel generators burn about 50% less fuel per hour than gas/propane-powered units of equal output.
Kohler Diesel 20REOD/20EOZD or Baldor TS25. These units are built with extra-heavy-duty engines. The Kohler model comes with a 40- or 80-gallon fuel tank (two or four days of continuous use).
The Baldor includes a 50-gallon tank (fuel for approximately three days). Propane and natural gas-fueled versions also are available.
Size: Kohler starts at 41.3″ x 26.5″ x 25.2″. Price: About $18,000. Kohler, 800-544-2444, http://www.kohlerpower.com. Baldor, 74″ x 38″ x 53″. Price: About $21,000. Baldor Electric Company, 479-646-4711, http://www.baldor.com.
MAINTENANCE
To determine which size generator you need, it’s best to have a licensed electrician calculate the highest level of power you will require.
You also will need to have your generator serviced yearly.
This includes changing the oil, spark plugs, belt and antifreeze and testing the battery. Typical cost for professional maintenance is $150.
Personal interviewed Gary Shipman, licensed electrical contractor and plumber. He is owner of The Generator Store, Middlefield, Ohio.
May 10th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
DOB Says:
May 10th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Padma:
“She” knows the word is “dyke.” But “she” also knows that using the “dike” tells the reader that she is a dyke with a bike who is not out of the closet.
Now, the question is, why didn’t you know that?
D{(i)(y)ke OB
May 10th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
MoveOn.org. I checked them out and found everyone to be true. You can too by simply googling the assertions.
======================================================
Top 5 Social Security Myths
Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.
Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a ‘T’).
It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.
1. After 2037, it’ll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that’s without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers’ retirement decades ago.
2. Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.
Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.
Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s.
The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.
3. What’s more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.
4. But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.
Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.
Reality: Social Security doesn’t need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here’s a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share.
If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.5 Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.
6. But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.
Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs
Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn’t full of IOUs, it’s full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.
7. The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts.
President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed.
So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.
Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit
Reality: It’s not just wrong—it’s impossible! By law, Social Security’s funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can’t add one penny to the deficit.
8. Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts. Can you share this list now?
Mike
May 10th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Will someone please in the fucking blanks. There is no archives and therefore I can’t finish my write.
============================
JOHN DILLINGER
Mail Train $1,800,000. Dillinger planned to leave the country after robbing it.
J Edger made a deal with the mob to not support Dillinger and his bank robbing kind. So there was JE, as he liked to be called, going after a guy who was stealing 10 to 20 thousand dollars using the help of crooks that were stealing tens millions of dollars a day from the American people.
The Mafia owned Hoover so they were willing to do anything to help him maintain his lofty position as the chief law enforcer in the country. They kept him supplied with child butt and a few thousand dollars from time to time.
In return he let them operate without federal interference from his FBI. Plus he would go before Congress annually and swear their was no such thing as organized crime in America.
That effectively prevented any federal branch from making an organized effort to stop the Mafia from taking over entire industries in every state in the USA.
Hoover was so desperate to capture the man he had made America’s Public Enemy Number One that he accepted a deal from ________ to capture Dillinger.
What he didn’t know was that Dillinger had paid _______ to make a deal with the Chicago police department that would allow them to capture Dillinger.
Dillinger paid __________ to kill a local ________ named __________. He was to plant the guy’s body and claim that it was Dillinger. The Chicago police department saw through the ruse when ________ said that the only way he would do it is if he were permitted to kill Dillinger first.
When they refused, _______ took the offer to Hoover. Hoover was so desperate to
improve his image as a crime buster that he accepted the deal. So when the dead body of _______ was delivered he made Melvin Purvis claim that he had shot Dillinger while he was walking along side the a woman in red.
To prevent her from telling anyone that the person the FBI was fostering off on the American people as Dillinger, he had the woman deported and asked the Mafia to knock her off once she was deported.
Melvin Purvis when along with Hoover’s orders. But he was so disgusted that he quit. Hoover was so afraid that Purvis would one day rat him out that he had the Mafia murder him and he had his office declare it a suicide.
Dillinger died of natal causes 41 years later in South America. He lived very well off his cut of the 1.8 million they got from the mail train robbery.
If you doubt the accuracy of what I have told you check the stats about the description of the body the FBI claimed was Dillinger.
Hoover went on to be the chief source of terror for OTWs, and spokesman for the mob. He used his agents to blackmail 94% of the US Congress at any given time during his reign and every US President until he died.
====================
I don’t know when this was entered or who gave us the info, that’s not important anyway. I need the blanks filled in.
May 10th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Prosecutorial misconduct is what I want to talk about. In 1976, the Supreme Court decided, in a case called Imblerv. Pachtman, that prosecutors have absoulute immunity from civil rights lawsuits for their work in the courtroom.
The court acknowledged that it’s ruling “does leave the genuinely wronged defendant without civil redress against a prosecutor whose malicious or dishonest action deprives him of liberty.” but said the alternative was worse: having prosecutors who fear a lawsuit, or even bankruptcy, every time they lose a trial.
May 10th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
I couldn’t get this in yesterday. If you don’t like it Michelle, could you just tell me in your intro. My daughters keep telling me to put my jokes in your blog.
They think that I am not trying. I try but I keep getting a note that says You said that.
Here is my joke again.
Ken and his wife Edna went to the state fair every year,
And every year Ken would say,
‘Edna, I’d like to ride in that helicopter’
Edna always replied,
‘I know Ken, but that helicopter ride is fifty bucks,
And fifty bucks is fifty bucks’
One year Ken and Edna went to the fair,
and Ken said,
‘Edna, I’m 75 years old.
If I don’t ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance’
To this, Edna replied,
“Ken that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks’
The pilot overheard the couple and said,
‘Folks I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and don’t
say a word I won’t charge you a penny!
But if you say one word it’s fifty dollars.’
Ken and Edna agreed and up they went.
The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard.
He did his daredevil tricks over and over again,
But still not a word…
When they landed, the pilot turned to Ken and said,
‘By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn’t.
I’m impressed!’
Ken replied,
‘Well, to tell you the truth,
I almost said something when Edna fell out,
But you know,
“Fifty bucks is fifty bucks!’
May 10th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
We haven’t heard a thing from the man with the connections. I’d like to know what’s happening in the world of aliens.
I don’t come hear to listen to women complain about how bad we treat them. I know we treat our females shitty. I am on their side.
But, my interest here is ALIENS. So ????
May 10th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
D{(i)(y)ke OB:
““She” knows the word is “dyke.” But “she” also knows that using the “dike” tells the reader that she is a dyke with a bike who is not out of the closet. Now, the question is, why didn’t you know that?”
I wouldn’t know that because I don’t live in the closet.
And I would advise you to get out of it and join the world. Represent. Be proud of who you are.
May 10th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Padma:
We can not all be as strong as you evidently are. I work in a very stressful environment. Announcing I’m gay would only add to it.
Thank you for your concern.
May 10th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
From The Guardian
WikiLeaks’ Australian founder Julian Assange, who enraged Washington by publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, was given a peace award on Tuesday for “exceptional courage in pursuit of human rights”.
The Wikileaks founder was praised for “challenging centuries old practices of government secrecy and by championing people’s right to know”
Assange was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation’s gold medal in London, only the fourth to be handed out in its 14-year history. The not-for-profit organisation associated with the University of Sydney, is supported by the City of Sydney.
He also criticised the Australian government, saying it must stop shoring up Washington’s efforts to “behave like a totalitarian state”, and said it was “appalled by the violent behaviour by major politicians in the United States”.
WikiLeaks caused a media and diplomatic uproar late last year when it began to publish its cache of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, revealing secrets such as that Saudi leaders had urged US military action against Iran.
Some American politicians said WikiLeaks should be defined as an international terrorist organisation.
Assange himself claimed publication of the cables helped shape uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East and said WikiLeaks was on the side of justice.
——-
He won the PEACE prize – of course hes contrary to US interests.
May 10th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
DOB
I work in a very stressful environment too. But nothing is as stressful as having to hide who you are.
Hiding it from my mother was the very definition of stress.
You don’t have to announce it. Just own it. Coming out is gradual process for most of us. You must start somewhere. Overcome feeling judged by others. After I told my mom my life got easier. I was finally at peace with myself
Good luck to you
May 10th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
I sit here wanting her so desperately. Maybe that is too strong. I want her to distraction. I can’t seem to concentrate on anything for long before my thoughts drift back to her beautiful body, radiant smile, or giggle that travels the length of my body before it gives me back control of it.
I sit here suffering while she is oblivious to my need to have here with me. She goes about her day with hardly a thought of my anguish. If I could just forget her; Remove her from my system like an unwanted drug that I had ingested by mistake.
But she’s not out of my system. She is running through my veins like a potent toxin with the sole intent of paralyzing my brain. Forcing me to only see, smell, and want her.
Sleep that could be my only relief. That is if my dreams will spare me the nightmare of being without her there.
May 11th, 2011 at 1:40 am
Thank you Padma for being concerned. You are the first person I have talked to about this. My parents would disown me if they thought I was gay. They are very pious baptists.
My cousin has been ostracized from out family for more that 20 years because he came out as gay. I don’t have the strength to cope with losing my family ties. I will probably end up married to one of the doctors here that proposition me all the time.
I have no desire to be touched by a man but I will do what I must to survive mentally and keep my secret. This will be my last write on this subject as I have to be careful. This blog is read and discussed a lot where I work.
Thanks again
God bless you
DOB
May 11th, 2011 at 2:11 am
We are in the year 1875:
Last year it seemed that some of the public in Missouri might at last recognize that the Jameses are not high-spirited ex-Confederate liberators, but sullen, brutal and murderous outlaws.
In the course of the year the James-Younger gang killed three detectives and an unarmed bank cashier, and scalded to death the driver of a train they held up at Adair, Iowa, when the boiler burst as they turned it over.
Although farmers and small holders admire the Jameses for robbing railroads, it is clear that the gang had gone too far.
In the November elections, the newly formed “People’s Party” which aims to woo commerce and investment back to the state, trounced the James-supporting Democrats.
This year Pinkerton’s detectives learned that the James brothers were hiding out with their stepfather, Dr. Samuel, in Clay County. On january 5 the decision was taken to flush them out.
A posse of Pinkerton’s men surrounded the farm and tossed a fireball through the window. Dr. Samuel quickly threw it on the fire where it exploded violently.
Dr. Samuel was slightly burned. Mrs. Zerelda Samuel, the James boys’ mother, lost her right arm. Eighty-year-old Archie Samuels died.
Public sympathy is now entirely on their side. Their own victims are forgotten in the outrage felt against the Pinkertons for declaring brutal war on women and children.
May 11th, 2011 at 2:26 am
AN SODA HELP YOU THINK BETTER?
It may be that life’s important decisions should come labeled “eat before you choose.” Researchers have discovered a link between the body’s level of blood sugar — essentially, the amount of energy you have at any given moment — and your ability to make wise decisions.
DECISION TESTING
A team of researchers at the University of South Dakota, led by psychology professor Xiao-Tian Wang, PhD, set out to explore what effect changing blood glucose levels had on decision-making.
Sixty-five students were given a list of 14 questions asking them to choose between a pair of monetary rewards — a smaller reward that could be received sooner and a larger reward that the students would have to wait longer to get.
One example was “Would you prefer to receive $120 tomorrow or $450 in 31 days?” To encourage thoughtful and honest responses, participants were told that they would have an opportunity to roll dice at the study’s conclusion for a chance to win one of their actual choices.
Dr. Wang first measured the blood glucose levels of the students, then asked them to answer seven questions. Next they were given a caffeine-free soda, sweetened either with sugar or with the artificial sweetener aspartame (they didn’t know which), and asked to drink it.
Their blood glucose levels were then measured again. Ten minutes later, they were asked the remaining seven questions. Dr. Wang found…
Students who drank the sugary soda were more likely to choose a larger reward later than to go for the fast cash in lesser amounts.
Speaking purely financially, this was the wiser decision because the amounts of the delayed payments were far higher than the payments they could receive immediately.
Students who drank artificially sweetened soda (which contains no calories and therefore doesn’t provide the body with energy) had the opposite response — they were more likely to choose the “smaller and sooner” monetary rewards.
Results were published in the February 2010 issue of Psychological Science. Dr. Wang’s coauthor was doctoral student Robert Dvorak.
HOW SWEET IT IS
These results raise an interesting question: Why would a relative lack of energy in your body (in other words, being hungry as evidenced by the lower blood sugar levels) affect decisions you make about money?
Dr. Wang offered his best guess — when we’re hungry, our bodies and minds experience a general feeling of need, which leads us to grab for every available resource, whether it’s food or something else.
In such situations, patience (what’s required to willingly delay a reward now for a larger one to be received later) goes out the window.
Earlier theories set out by other researchers had argued that our society’s overwhelming focus on wealth is an outgrowth of our evolutionary desire for food… and that both are partially regulated by the amount of glucose in our bodies.
Dr. Wang’s hypothesis is that these same evolutionary reasons might explain how caloric energy enables us to be more future-oriented in our decision-making.
“The future is more abstract than the present and thus may require more energy to process,” he says. These ideas are interesting, but Dr. Wang cautions that this is basic research, and it’s a leap to arrive at real-world conclusions.
Future research may find applications for treatment of people with impulsive behaviors and disorders, such as addictions or anorexia.
In the meantime, since this study demonstrated that even blood glucose fluctuations within a normal range — after drinking just one soda — affect decision making, I’ll make a point to avoid making big decisions on an empty stomach!
Source(s):
Xiao-Tian Wang, PhD, professor of psychology, The University of South Dakota, Vermillion.
May 11th, 2011 at 8:04 am
Michelle, the army is taking women and children prisoners to us as shields in buildings housing weapons and troops. It is rumored that some will be killed and placed in buildings and places to blame bombings by western powers.
please help
May 11th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Sorry michelle I had to stop. Many are being forced to leave the country. They are being put on boats to Italy, I think. I am in Tripoli, but this is being happening everywhere I am being told.
Send Madaline she helped in Zuwarah. We need her help in Tripoli.
Sharifah
May 11th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Michelle I am a man but if you are real help us in Tripoli.
Gaddafi have mortars and Grad missile launchers. With them they can hit any place they want in our city from long distances.
Please help NATO be more accurate. Their bombs miss Gaddafi’s forces and are destroying my beautiful city. Many of our historical Italian built buildings have been hit, our Supreme Court building has been hit. What is NATO doing shooting out buildings or Gaddafi’s forces?
NATO is preventing the freedom fighters in Misrata from advancing. They are being told to wait for help from their brothers in the east.
Who is in charge. I love my country. I want it to be free of Gaddafi, but I do not want it destroyed.
September 18th, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Hi! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I
truly enjoy reading your posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums
that cover the same subjects? Thank you so much!