International Law

A new study suggests that compared with college students in the 1970s, today's college kids are 40 percent less likely to show signs of empathy. The study was presented this week at the Association for Psychological Science in Boston, and it was based on a review of 72 studies conducted between 1979 and 2009. Survey questions gauged student responses to statements like, "I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me," and "I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective. "Today's students, the authors said, did not fare well. Researchers have spun a number of theories explaining the self-centeredness of the so-called "Me" generation, pointing fingers at the media, social networking, and video games. "Many people see the current group of college students ? as one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic in recent history," one of the authors stated. An unrelated study suggests that whether students are selfish, they're definitely not prepared for the workplace. According to a York College survey, most graduating seniors are not ready to deal with the realities of a nine-to-five job, and instead think that "they're entitled to become, let's say, president of the company within the next two years."

via slatest.slate.com