The age-old debate over nature versus nurture has entered the workplace, and the bad news is that you can no longer blame your laziness on the genes your parents gave you. The good news? You might instead blame it on your boss. Research from Kansas State University shows that employee proactivity is determined not by genetics or the environment alone, but rather by a combination of these two factors. That means you may have an innate tendency to take initiative but your environment may deaden your enthusiasm.

Investors know that the key to a successful business is the people — and the mood of the people matters. Studies have shown that positive moods correlate with better results. The Niko Niko app attempted to measure and track mood data. Will employers of the future pay closer attention to how their employees are feeling, and even attempt to collect data on it? Or is that just downright creepy?

If the answer is yes, you might not know it. In fact, whatever you think you are — persuader or aggressor, collaborator or inspirer — you’re probably wrong. So says a series of studies from Columbia Business School that sought to tease out the difference between how we perceive ourselves and how our co-workers perceive us. A surprising number of participants were not aware of their level of assertiveness.

The gray matter under those gray hairs counts for a lot. According to a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, older job applicants demonstrated consistently higher “crystallized intelligence.” Researchers found that older employees in executive-level positions may possess several key cognitive skills in greater abundance than their younger counterparts, including verbal ability and experience-based knowledge. 

Most of us don’t spring from bed well-rested and ready to start another glorious day at work. It turns out there’s science behind our morning grogginess. Our lives and bodies are governed by three different, often conflicting rhythms: our social obligations, our biological clock and the sun. When these forces aren’t in sync — which may be most or all of the time — we suffer from what’s called “social jet lag,” which affects our concentration, memory, and even our digestion.