-
From Bitter to Wrong: Conscience of a Conservative
Fans of the old sitcom Seinfeld will recall Mr. Bookman, the well-named New York Public Library investigator who relentlessly pursues Jerry for failing to return a library book that he checked out two decades before. Jerry borrowed the book, Tropic of Cancer, in 1971, and when Mr. Bookman finally tracks him down, the mere mention of that year sends the library cop off on a sweeping moral tirade on the degradation of civilized culture: “Yeah, ’71 . . . bad year for libraries. Bad year for America. Hippies burning library cards. Abby Hoffman telling everybody to steal books. I don’t judge a man by the length of his hair or the kind of music he listens to. . . .
-
The ‘Snowmageddon Effect’: Irrational Beliefs About Climate
On February 5th and 6th of 2010, a blizzard dumped historic snowfalls on the Mid-Atlantic region of the country. Elkridge, Maryland, got more than 38” over the two days, and Washington, DC, where I live, ended up with about 20” of accumulation. That’s a lot of snow for us, but this was just the start. Three days later, another winter storm dumped an additional 20” or more on the nation’s capital. The weather’s one-two punch soon became known as “Snowmageddon”—a nickname made official when President Obama used it to describe the paralyzing storms. Snowmageddon had a puzzling side effect.
-
The Partner Paradox: ‘Outsourcing’ Self-discipline
My wife and I go to spinning class a couple mornings a week. It’s something we like to do together, and I feel like I benefit from having a regular workout partner. Some days I’m just lazy, or I don’t want to venture out in the pre-dawn cold, but having a supportive partner motivates me. She bolsters my self-discipline when it flags. Or does she? Is it possible that having a supportive partner might have the opposite and paradoxical effect, actually undermining effort and commitment to health and fitness goals over the long haul?
-
Emotions by the roomful
I have a friend who sucks the air out of the room whenever he comes around. He is so blustery and self-absorbed that people don’t interact with him; they capitulate. I also have friends who by their mere presence light up the room, raising the spirits of everyone gathered. I know people who cast a pall over the group and drag it down; others who have a calming effect on gatherings. These are all caricatures, of course. Nobody can sway the emotions of an entire room, energizing or subduing or infuriating every member of the group. After all, each of us has his or her own emotional make-up, which is surely more powerful than the mere presence of another person.
-
He loves me, he loves me not: The thrill of uncertainty
Here’s a Valentine’s Day scenario: You’ve just been on a first date with a woman you find attractive and intelligent, and things went well—at least from your point of view. The conversation was comfortable, and you share some tastes in books and politics. You’re still savoring the pleasure of the experience when you run into a mutual friend, who reports some good news: Your date really had a good time, too, and is looking forward to seeing you again soon. Or your mutual friend hems and haws and finally shares that the woman liked you “well enough”—which anyone can translate as “bored to tears.” Or—yet another scenario—your mutual friend leaves you dangling.
-
The Neurology of Schadenfreude
An experiment involving fans of Major League Baseball’s most intense rivals unearths a particularly troubling aspect of finding pleasure in others’ pain.
