HEALTHY

Your Fear of Death Does Terrible Things

By Neil Strauss

Fear of death and insignificance make people hateful. One of my favorite theories in social science is terror management theory. It is predicated on the idea that as adult human beings, we have a desire to live, yet we know that — at a time and by a cause unknown to us — we are going to die.

So to manage this existential anxiety, we embrace a cultural worldview that provides us with order, meaning, importance, and, ultimately, self-esteem. The effectiveness of this strategy depends on the agreement of others who share our beliefs (see group polarity). And when those beliefs are threatened, we will go to great lengths to preserve and defend them (see: everything from trolling to terrorism.)

As a result, when people are reminded of their mortality, they can become more prejudiced, more aggressive toward people with different worldviews, and believe that there is a greater social consensus for their beliefs than there actually is. In addition, political beliefs shift to support militaristic policies, charismatic nationalists, and increased domestic surveillance.

Now here’s what’s interesting: I spoke with Tom Pyszczynski, one of the people who developed terror management theory. And he told me:

“Fear made people very defensive of their beliefs and values, and suspicious of people who were different. But if reminded of their culture’s value of a sense of shared humanity and that we are all in this together, it reversed the effect so that fear actually increased support for peace-making.”

In short, compassion beats anxiety.

Read more.

WEALTHY

Avoid These 6 Common Mistakes When Saving for Retirement

From Early to Rise

Starting to save for retirement can be tricky. Here are some of the most common retirement mistakes people make and how they can be avoided:

1) Not Getting Specific Advice. Some retirement guidelines say you should bank six times your annual salary by age 60, while others say you need 80 percent of your current annual salary for every year of retirement. No matter how good the rule of thumb is, it remains a generic piece of advice. When it comes to retirement, generic is bad. If you’re saving for retirement, you need to get specific information from a financial planner who knows your situation intimately. Anything else is leaving your future up to chance.

2) Paying High Fees. Many people fail to check what fee they’re paying for their investments. While a fee of two percent may seem small, it can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, compared to a fee of .5 percent. A good rule of thumb is to pay one percent or less in fees. Otherwise you’re just throwing money away. Firms are required to list their fees clearly, so it’s simple to find and compare.

3) Not Planning for Taxes. It’s easy to look at your nest egg and assume you have enough money to live on. But many soon-to-be retirees forget that they may owe taxes on their withdrawals from traditional 401ks and IRAs. An accountant or financial planner can help you plan for those taxes while possibly offering ways to decrease your tax liability.

Learn three more common mistakes here.

WISE

The Power of Introspection

By Craig Ballantyne

Introspection is defined as the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes.

Simply put, introspection is the ability to see yourself objectively — to know when you are wrong, and to realize you need to change if you want to be right.

I’ve put together an Introspection Checklist. As we go through it, rank yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. One means you are struggling in this area and 10 means you’re strong.

1. Stress – Are you stressed out? That would leave you close to a one. Or are you chilled out? That would get you close to a 10.

2. Health – How are you feeling? How are your health habits?

3. Nutrition – Are you eating the right foods? How is your digestive health?

4. Sleep – Are you getting 8 hours a night? Or at least 7? Are you tired all the time? Is it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep at night?

5. Energy Levels – Are you fatigued or fresh? Can you keep up with the demands in your life and from your family? Do you rely on too much caffeine?

Get the rest of the checklist here.

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