What Is Emotional Eating?

    Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of satisfying hunger. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Have you ever finished a whole bag of chips out of boredom or downed cookie after cookie while preparing for a big test? But when done a lot — especially without realizing it — emotional eating can affect weight, health, and overall well-being.

    Not many of us make the connection between eating and our feelings.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that it's caused by negative feelings. Yes, people often turn to food when they're stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious, or bored. But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too, like the romance of sharing dessert on Valentine's Day or the celebration of a holiday feast. Sometimes emotional eating is tied to major life events, like a death or a divorce. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Emotional eating patterns can be learned: A child who is given candy after a big achievement may grow up using candy as a reward for a job well done. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It's not easy to “unlearn” patterns of emotional eating. But it is possible. And it starts with an awareness of what's going on.

    We're all emotional eaters to a degree. But for some people emotional eating can be a real problem, causing serious weight gain or other problems. The trouble with emotional eating is that once the pleasure of eating is gone, the feelings that cause it remain. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} That's why it helps to know the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger.

    Next time you reach for a snack, wait and think about which type of hunger is driving it.

A. Believe it or not, we've all been there.

B. If a crying boy gets some cookies, he may link cookies with comfort.

C. One study found that people who eat food like pizza become happy afterwards.

D. And you often may feel worse about eating the amount or type of food you like.

E. Understanding what drives emotional eating can help people take steps to change it.

F. Boys seem to prefer hot, homemade comfort meals, while girls go for chocolate and ice cream.

G. More often, though, it's the countless little daily stresses that cause someone to seek comfort in food.

Tips for making family movie night a success

    We say this a lot, but we think it's worth repeating: It's important to get involved in your kids' media lives - and your kids will love it too.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} what's a good way to stay involved with your kids' media picks and create an opportunity to discuss them? Host a family movie night! Some tips for making it work:

    Schedule it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Turn off cell phones and avoid multitasking during the show.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you've pot little kids, pre-select a group to choose from. Avoid watching the same movie over and over again. If you've got teens, tell them you'll watch anything they choose as long as they return the favor when it's your turn. Obey a “no complaining” rule.

    Choose a location (场所). Hang a sheet in the backyard, prepare the necessary equipment, and sit on beach chairs to enjoy a classic like The Wizard of Oz.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Talk about it. The next day, make time to chat about what you watched. Kids might be interested in learning more about Hollywood's history.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Talking with kids about how movie characters handled fictional situations can be a way to form your family's values or get kids to open up about their lives.

A. Make it a theme night.

B. Take turns choosing the movie.

C. This can be simple or complicated.

D. Make it a regular date and time and don't break it.

E. Visit the library to follow up on interests excited by the movie.

F. But helping them become wise media consumers can be easier said than done.

G. Or spend the family movie night on the road during vacations or at the grandparents' house.

    One morning last week I looked out of my study window and saw that it was a fine day. No, it was a wonderful day: the sun shone down from a sky without even a single cloud. But later that day, hard at work at my desk, I heard a loud noise on the roof. Turning to the window, I saw that the sky was now the color of charcoal. Two minutes later the rain poured, making rivers of water.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}It's extremely variable. Go ahead with your picnic in the local park by all means, but don't suppose that because the sun is shining now, it will be when you open your pack of sandwiches.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The weather in Britain is not always bad.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is one of the biggest reasons why the British talk so often about the weather. Wherever there are strangers standing or sitting close together, and talk can not be avoided. The conversation focuses on the weather: “Yes, the weather has been good, hasn't it?” or “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}”

    The unexpected change of the weather is something that every British can agree on.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Even those with different opinions on everything else in the world, such as the argument in the UK about membership of the European Union, can talk about the weather without leading to a quarrel.

A. It is just changeable.

B. That makes it a safe topic of conversation.

C. You'd better take an umbrella, just in case.

D. What shocking weather we've been having!

E. Strangers will choose to talk about the weather to break the ice.

F. This story will give you some idea about weather in Britain.

G. Are you going for a picnic?

    When we were kids, if our parents wanted us to stop the screen time, they would turn off the TV. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They grab the cell phone, the tablet or the laptop. Here we will talk about how to control their screen time.

    First, limit the time they use screens. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Kids are smart. Once you go back to your daily routine, they will quickly be back on a screen. Because they just don't understand that when you tell them to get off the tablet or computer, you mean for the rest of the day.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It can be going outside to play, reading a fun book or cleaning their room. Presenting them with an alternative helps the under-developed planning part of their little brains get past what they can't do and see what else is possible.

    And third, hide the screen device. That one may not seem very fair. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If they don't see the device around the house, they can't grab it. This way, works for us adult-types who may be a little too addicted to screens ourselves.

    Ultimately, the best way to help kids recognize how much is too much screen time is to limit our own. Yeah, you may have to stare at one all day for your job, but do you really have to come home and immediately turn on the TV or answer that email on your phone? Don't think your kids aren't taking excuses from your actions. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Second, give them an alternative.

B. So, it's necessary to set a limited time.

C. It may seem easy, but it can be challenging.

D. Now, kids often have a choice of which screen they want.

E. They watch you just as closely as they watch those screens.

F. Now go to find a screen and turn it off, for you and for your kids.

G. But the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” actually works sometimes.

    Bullying (欺凌) is a problem in many schools. Maybe lots of you have ever come across school bullies. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Ignore the bully and walk away. It's definitely not a coward's response. Sometimes it can be harder than losing your temper. Walk tall and hold your head high. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Hold the anger. Who doesn't get really upset with a bully? {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Bullies want to know they have control over your emotions. Work out your anger in other ways, such as through exercise or writing it down.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However you choose to deal with a bully, don't use physical force. Not only are you showing your anger, but you can never be sure what the bully will do in response. You are more likely to be hurt and get into trouble if you use violence against a bully. You can stand up for yourself in other ways, such as gaining control of the situation by walking away.

    Talk about it. It may help to talk to a guidance advisor, teacher, or friend. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Talking can be a good outlet for the fears and frustrations that can build when you're being bullied.

Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a complex world, there's another set of cognitive (认知的) skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink. Therefore, my aim in this book is to explore how rethinking happens by seeking out the most convincing evidence and some of the world's most skilled rethinkers.

The first section focuses on opening our own minds. You'll find out why a forward-thinking businessman got trapped in the past, how a Nobel Prize-winning scientist welcomes the joy of being wrong, how the world's best forecasters update their views, and how an Oscar-winning filmmaker has productive fights.

The second section examines how we can encourage other people to think again. You'll learn how an international debate champion wins arguments and an African-American musician persuades people to abandon discrimination (歧视). You'll discover how a special kind of listening helped an officer convince the opposing side to join in peace talks. And if you're a Yankees fan, I'm going to see if I can convince you to root for the Red Sox.

The third section is about how we can create communities of lifelong learners. In social life, a lab that specializes in difficult conversations will cast light on how we can communicate better about debated issues like climate change. In schools, you'll find out how educators teach kids to think again by treating classrooms like museums, and approaching projects like rewriting time-honored textbooks. I close by examining the importance of reconsidering our best-laid plans.

This book is an invitation to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you well, and to establish your sense of self in flexibility rather than consistency. If you can master the art of rethinking, I believe you'll be better positioned for success at work and happiness in life. Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems. It's a path to learning more from the people around you and living with fewer regrets.