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Bizarre Optical Illusion of the Day: Tram Riders Believe Buildings Are Falling Down
The Atlantic: Riders on the Hong Kong Peak Tram continue to perceive that skyscrapers are falling down, despite their knowledge that the buildings are structurally sound. ... The study, "Falling Skyscrapers: When Cross-Modal Perception of Verticality Fails," is published in Psychological Science, required hundreds of trips up Hong Kong's Victoria Peak. Read the whole story: The Atlantic
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How Perfect Is Perfect Pitch?
Scientific American: When I was in college, the choir director used to begin every rehearsal with “Sing me an A!”. The 100 person choir would muddle around, with often hilariously off key results. Over the year, we’d get better and better, usually because we’d tune in to the few people in the choir who we KNEW had perfect pitch, the ability to name a music note (and then, hopefully, produce it) without the aid of another note to give them a clue. And usually, if we all tuned in to the people with perfect pitch, we turned out ok. But sometimes…sometimes even THEN we didn’t. Then the people with perfect pitch would look pretty embarrassed.
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You have more time than you think
CNN: June 21 is the longest day of the year. Yes, from now on, we'll lose a few minutes of daylight each day. Before that panicked feeling of time slipping away kicks in (I already have too much to do and now my days will be even shorter?), take a deep breath. There's hope. First off, it turns out our time isn't as scarce as we have convinced ourselves it is. And second, new research has demonstrated effective strategies to help mitigate the pangs of our time famine. ... So what's the problem with a little less socializing and a little less volunteering? Both of these activities are strongly associated with happiness.
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The hack to save your marriage: Eli Finkel at TEDxUChicago
TEDx: “The marriage hack has eliminated the downward trajectory of marriage dissatisfaction” According to Eli Finkel, we’ve changed how we value our personal relationships: We’ve come to expect our spouses to fill roles traditionally left for platonic friends. And marriages may be suffering because of it, with surveys showing that average satisfaction declines consistently year after year. But that decline could be stopped. At TEDxUChicago, Finkel sheds light on an overwhelmingly simple step that couples can take to maybe save their relationships. Read the whole story: TEDx
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You, An Idea Thief? Say It Isn’t So.
The Wall Street Journal: All good things come to an end. By 1970, the beloved Beatles had decided to go their separate ways. Within a year, George Harrison reached No. 1 with a solo song, “My Sweet Lord.” But his sweet time at the top was short-lived. Within a month, a lawsuit was filed. Harrison’s song had original lyrics, but shared a melody and harmony with the 1963 hit song by the Chiffons, “He’s So Fine.” Was the Beatles’ lead guitarist guilty of plagiarism? ... The psychologist Dan Gilbert calls this kleptomnesia: generating an idea that you believe is novel, but in fact was created by someone else. It’s accidental plagiarism, and it’s all too common in creative work.
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Oh, the Humanity. Putting Faces on Social Causes
The Huffington Post: Back in the 1940s, the U.S. Forest Service began a public service campaign aimed at preventing forest fires. It featured Smokey Bear, a humanized caricature of a bear wearing blue jeans and a ranger's hat. In a kind, gravelly voice, Smokey enlisted public support with slogans, his most famous being: "Remember -- only you can prevent forest fires." Smokey's effort is considered one of the most enduring and effective advertising campaigns of all time. I know the ads worked for me as a boy. I grew up in a heavily wooded area, and became extremely cautious about matches and campfires as a result of Smokey's message, as did all my friends.
