Good news bad news

I've Got Good News and Bad News:

Apparently asking for advice is really, really bad. Fortunately, I never do that.

Among the findings:

Talkative youngsters tended to show interest in intellectual matters, speak fluently, try to control situations, and exhibit a high degree of intelligence as adults. Children who rated low in verbal fluency were observed as adults to seek advice, give up when faced with obstacles, and exhibit an awkward interpersonal style.

Children rated as highly adaptable tended, as middle-age adults, to behave cheerfully, speak fluently and show interest in intellectual matters. Those who rated low in adaptability as children were observed as adults to say negative things about themselves, seek advice and exhibit an awkward interpersonal style.

Now, you might say, "But caring what people think is extremely important for adaptive function in social animals like humanity!" Not so! Let me tell you what a drill sergeant once said to me and a whole group of other people. He said:

"I've got good news and bad news for you. The good news is, Sergeant Smith loves ya'll."

When you hear that, you can be pretty sure you're not going to be asked for your advice.