“It would be impossible to conceive of the equations without looking for mathematical beauty.” –Frank Wilczek
BRAIN WAVES
Hocus focus. We’ve all been there: You read a book, you get to the end of a paragraph, and you realize you haven’t been paying attention. You read the paragraph again; it happens again. What goes on in our minds when we lose focus? And how can we get better at avoiding distractions? In a study, researchers asked volunteers to complete a set of reaction time tasks. Some of the volunteers were instructed in a general way to respond as quickly as possible to the tasks. Others were asked to set very specific goals, such as, “Respond in 450 milliseconds.” The timing got tighter and more challenging over time. The researchers found that when people set specific goals, not only did their reaction times increase, they were also more focused on the task. “Our results provide evidence that a simple and easily implementable change in behavior—setting specific goals for oneself—can significantly improve our ability to maintain task focus over time,” said study co-author Matthew Robison. Did you make it to the end of this paragraph?
Action! Psychologists have studied how to raise awareness about climate change and get people to take action on the issue. The answer can vary depending on a range of factors, like culture, age, gender, political ideology — the list goes on. An international team of scientists behind a recent paper has created a tool that shows which messages and interventions are most effective with different demographics. "To maximize their impact, policymakers and advocates can assess which messaging is most promising for their publics," said study co-author Kimberly Doell, who also helped lead the project. Check out the tool for yourself here.
Death, interrupted. Is grief inevitable? Don’t miss our episode “Healing 2.0: Disrupting Death,” featuring the strange and provocative story of a man who believes that we can, in a way, cheat death. Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
The Mystery of Beauty: What’s the point of beauty? Why is it so important to us? This week on the show, neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee explains the function of beauty in our daily lives. Then, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek describes how beauty served a purpose in some of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of our time.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Gary Dietz’s Story: When Gary Dietz's son with special needs was struggling during a day out in the city, four kind strangers came to their aid.
Don’t forget to send us the story of your unsung hero! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
HOW TO SUPPORT OUR WORK
As a subscriber to this newsletter, you may have seen an option to make a “pledge” of support to Hidden Brain. This is a feature created by Substack, the platform we use to publish this newsletter. We’ve turned off this “pledge” function to avoid any confusion about the best way to support Hidden Brain. If you’d like to make a contribution toward our journalism — and enjoy bonus episodes of the show — please consider joining our podcast subscription, Hidden Brain+. You can currently find Hidden Brain+ in the Apple Podcasts app, or by going to apple.co/hiddenbrain. And if you’re an Android user or a fan of another podcast platform, fear not — we’ll be expanding Hidden Brain+ in the near future. Thanks so much for your support of our work; we’re truly grateful!
MIND GAMES
We interrupt this week’s puzzle to bring you some fun news: Hidden Brain is a game!
Do you struggle to recognize people after you've met them? Do you like games and puzzles?
If so, check out Hidden Brain Daily Challenge, our new app available on Apple iOS! It features our very first game, designed to help improve your facial recognition skills. Check it out here.
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
A girl was ten on her last birthday. She will be twelve on her next birthday. How can this statement be true?
The answer: It's her 11th birthday.
MAKING YOUR LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the brainiac in your life? Check out the Hidden Brain shop, where you’ll find hoodies and tote bags and tees — oh my! It’s also a great way to support the work we do.
A MOMENT OF JOY
Take a look at the most pressing existential questions in each U.S. state. Is there a god? Who am I? Is a hotdog a sandwich?
Have an idea for Hidden Brain? A story you want to share with us? Send an email to ideas@hiddenbrain.org. Listen to us on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform.