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Measles are contagious.  Sneezes are contagious.  But did you know rudeness is, too? New research has shown that encountering rude behavior at work makes people more likely to perceive rudeness in later interactions, a University of Florida study shows. It simply makes us more likely to be impolite in return, spreading rudeness like a virus. Who hasn't had a boss who called them out in a meeting for failing to do something?  Or praised someone else for something you worked on, too?  Years ago I had a boss who was so hateful I broke out in a rash on vacation when I was away from him, probably the only time my body felt safe enough to express it.  He'd make me do things like pick up donuts for my peers or make copies of their work to be handed out at meetings.  He did everything he could to make me feel small and worthless.  And it worked. It also made me want to do churlish things back.  Though I was a little too afraid to be rude right ...

Spite .  Sometimes it's delicious, like when your neighbor yells at you for your son accidentally kicking his soccer ball onto her lawn.  And then you see a dog owner stop in her yard and -- well, you get the picture. Now researchers are finding that spite is good, and that it may actually help us engage in a cooperative spirit and fair play.   According to Natalie Angier, " The new research on spite transcends older notions that we are savage, selfish brutes at heart, as well as more recent suggestions that humans are inherently affiliative creatures yearning to love and connect. Instead, it concludes that vice and virtue, like the two sides of a V, may be inextricably linked." Studies found that  men were generally more spiteful than women and young adults more spiteful than older ones, and that spitefulness generally co-existed side by side with traits like callousness, Machiavellianism and poor self-esteem — but not with agreeableness, conscientiousness or ...

One of my favorite sayings -- and one I have to remind myself of just about every day -- is, don't have what you want, want what you have. It's so true.  And now a new study has found that those who do just that are happier than the ones who want it all.   It probably shouldn't be a surprise.  But p eople who are materialistic are more likely to be depressed and unsatisfied, in part because they find it harder to be grateful for what they have, according to newswise.com.  My husband and I have struggled financially for some years, due to a lot of circumstances. He's a healthcare professional who's seen his earnings be whittled down bit by bit as insurance companies rev up their profits by slicing the supplier.  My own career has taken a wrong turn, as well.  I still love what I do (write), but you can't buy very much when the market is now paying $7.50 per article (thank you, Internet, where people can get it for free). We have some family and frie...