PROBLEM: Why do we often plan to take risks like skydiving and singing onstage but back out when the moment of truth arrives?
METHODOLOGY: Scientists led by University of Colorado Boulder psychology and neuroscience professor Leaf Van Boven hypothesized that this illusion of courage is the result of an empathy gap, or our inability to forecast how we will behave in emotional situations. In two of the experiments, they asked college students if they would be willing to engage in a future embarrassing situation, such as telling a funny story or dancing to James Brown’s “Sex Machine” in front of their class, in exchange for a few dollars. Some of the students were asked outright, while others were first exposed to short films that aroused feelings of fear and anger.
RESULTS: The students who were primed with negative emotions were much more accurate in predicting their true willingness to perform in public. The undergraduates who did not view movie clips were less empathetic to their future selves and significantly overestimated their interest.
CONCLUSION: People overestimate their ability to engage in embarrassing situations. They may be able to persevere, however, if they call to mind instances that could put them in better touch with the fear they would likely experience.
Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite of the best strategies for learning.
But here’s the cool part: If you study, wait, and then study again, the longer the wait, the more you’ll have learned after this second study session. Bjork explains it this way: “When we access things from our memory, we do more than reveal it’s there. It’s not like a playback. What we retrieve becomes more retrievable in the future. Provided the retrieval succeeds, the more difficult and involved the retrieval, the more beneficial it is.”
For many of the guys that work here, the restaurant is like a second home – some of them have been slinging burgers, making shakes, and waiting on customers at this location for decades. Opened in 1938, the place hasn’t been altered since the early ’60s, and it looks all the better for it.
Here the waiters and workers of Prime Burger discuss their views on their chosen profession, and the unique nature of the place itself.
According to this article, Android users are more likely to have sex on the first date. So, if you are trying to hook up this weekend, you might ditch the ol’ “what’s your sign” line for something like “is that an Android phone?” Hey, don’t look at me, I’m not the one that conducted this study.
The Toronto Star says the survey was conducted by online polling and survey site Zoomerang, and used 1,068 single Canadians as its pool. They found that 62% of Android users said they’ve had sex on the first date, whereas 57% of iPhone users said the same, and only 48% of those with a BlackBerry.
US shallow diver has broken his own world record by swan-diving 36ft (11m) into a paddling pool containing just 12in (30.5cm) of water.
Darren Taylor, also known as Professor Splash, dived into a pool of near-freezing water in Trondheim, Norway, making the jump his 13th Guinness certified record.
