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Ticklish Primates, Social Fish and Other Secrets of Animal Intelligence
The Wall Street Journal: The severed arm of an octopus can crawl on its own and grab food. Elephants can distinguish between people based on age, language and gender. Crows are adept at using tools. In “Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?” — a new book by Frans de Waal – the primatologist argues that the mental powers of animals are far more complex than often generally assumed. Many experts have been asking the wrong questions about animal intelligence, he argues, blaming the creature in the cage for poor test results when it’s the person in the lab coat who’s flawed. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
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Repeat Drunk Drivers and the Neurobiology of Risk
"I recognize the seriousness of this mistake. I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life," said 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps during his first drunk driving sentencing hearing in 2004. Phelps was convicted of drunk driving again in 2014 after police witnessed him crossing the double yellow line while driving 84 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone. According to police records, Phelps’s blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit at the time of his second DUI arrest.
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Successful Teams Get (Physiologically) in Sync
When people work together well, their physiological responses begin to sync up, according to new research from a team of psychological scientists from Aarhus University. The research showed that team members who had synchronized skin conductance and facial muscle activity tended to perform better together. “People from the same team have higher synchrony that pairs of people from different teams, and this synchrony is positively associated with a team’s cooperation and positive feeling,” the researchers explain. Previous research has shown that mimicry and synchronization between individuals often enhances prosocial behavior, cooperation, and rapport.
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Read This Story Without Distraction (Can You?)
The New York Times: Stop what you’re doing. Well, keep reading. Just stop everything else that you’re doing. Mute your music. Turn off your television. Put down your sandwich and ignore that text message. While you’re at it, put your phone away entirely. (Unless you’re reading this on your phone. In which case, don’t. But the other rules still apply.) Just read. You are now monotasking. Maybe this doesn’t feel like a big deal. Doing one thing at a time isn’t a new idea. ...
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Life Isn’t Fair
The Atlantic: When you see a corporate scoundrel go unpunished, or a puppy die of cancer, or Rashida Jones gifted with talent, beauty, and smarts, you might be forgiven for asking: Is life fair? And yet most of us cling to the idea that people generally get what they deserve. Our belief in the world’s fairness can veer into magical thinking. For example, one study found that people who frequently patronize a business believe they are more likely than other customers to win a given prize drawing by that business—a phenomenon the researchers called the “lucky loyalty” effect. Read the whole story: The Atlantic
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The Wisdom of the Aging Brain
Nautilus: At the 2010 Cannes Film Festival premiere of You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, director Woody Allen was asked about aging. He replied with his characteristic, straight-faced pessimism. “I find it a lousy deal. There is no advantage in getting older. I’m 74 now. You don’t get smarter, you don’t get wiser ... Your back hurts more, you get more indigestion ... It’s a bad business, getting old. I’d advise you not to do it if you can avoid it.” Creaking bones and bad digestion notwithstanding, is that really the only face of aging? Turns out, it’s not. At least for the fortunate few, old age may not be Woody Allenesque; instead old age is when they become compassionate and wise.
