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You’re So Self-Controlling
The New York Times: WHAT do you do if, when you get to a subway platform, you see that it is already packed with people? Do you join the throngs to wait for the train, or do you shake your head and seek an alternative way to get where you’re going? If you go the first route, you probably think that the crowd means there must not have been a train for some time and that one is imminent. If you choose the second, you’ve come to the opposite conclusion: It’s crowded, a train hasn’t come in a while, so it’s likely there’s some sort of problem — and who knows how long you’ll end up waiting. Better cut your losses and split.
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Dan Ariely On Why We’re All A Little Dishonest – And What To Do About It
Forbes: In a fast-moving, complex society, you simply can’t master every task. But when you pay people for advice – whether they’re your doctor, your mechanic, or your financial adviser – you need to be able to trust what they’re saying. “As we become more interdependent and more specialized,” says Dan Ariely, author of The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, “trust becomes more valuable.” ... “The good news is most people are not psychopaths,” says Ariely, a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (where I also teach).
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When Smiles in Childhood Photos Lead to Future Happiness
The Wall Street Journal: "Smile!" It's the word that millions of children hear just before a bright flash freezes their features for posterity in the American school ritual of Picture Day. I was recently reminded of this when my 7-year-old son donned his colorful collared shirt and combed his hair in the mirror in preparation for the event. I couldn't help saying, "Now be sure to smile!" Who doesn't remember being encouraged, begged or admonished to do the same? My son's eagerness prompted me to crack open my own yearbooks, stored deep beneath the blankets in the hallway closet.
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The Case Against Brain Scans As Evidence In Court
NPR: It's not just people who go on trial these days. It's their brains. More and more lawyers are arguing that some defendants deserve special consideration because they have brains that are immature or impaired, says Nina Farahany, a professor of law and philosophy at Duke University who has been studying the use of brain science in court. About 5 percent of murder trials now involve some neuroscience, Farahany says. "There's a steady increase of defendants seeking to introduce neuroscience to try to reduce the extent to which they're responsible or the extent to which they're punished for a crime," she says.
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Keep the mornings honest, the afternoons for lying and cheating
The Guardian: Good afternoon, how are you doing? I have to say your hair looks wonderful, and whatever perfume that is, it's delightful. In fact, it's precisely the same scent as Alexa Chung wears. Yes, she was telling me as much just last week when we were in that hot tub together in Berne waiting for Vladimir. Vladimir Putin. He's just hired me and Alexa as consultants in the campaign to preserve the Siberian tiger. Yeah, it's a really great job. I get paid in pelts. Sorry about that, couldn't help myself. You see it's past midday and I find it very easy not to lie. Sorry, I mean very difficult. Neither am I alone – or am I?
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Why Do Giraffes Have Long Necks?
Anyone who has seen this majestic creature in the wild, nibbling away at the top of an acacia tree, has to marvel at the wonder of evolution. The giraffe’s long neck is a perfect adaptation to the animal’s natural habitat. Clearly the giraffe evolved this uncommon and helpful trait in order to reach those nourishing leaves. That’s how natural selection works. If you’re a 6-year-old. As appealing as this explanation is, it shows a complete misunderstanding of the concept of adaptation by natural selection, a key concept in the theory of evolution. What’s wrong with the 6-year-old’s idea is not its focus on the neck’s function.
