BRAIN WAVES
Artificial bias? Turns out chatbots can be just as irrational as we are. Curious whether AI is vulnerable to cognitive dissonance, researchers asked an AI model called GPT-4o to write pro- or anti-Vladimir Putin essays, then rate Putin afterward. Like humans, the AI rated him more positively or negatively depending on the essay it had just written. And the effect was stronger when GPT-4o was told it could choose which essay to write, even though that choice was an illusion (the researchers had manipulated its “thinking”). Researchers don’t think that this means chatbots experience dissonance the same way humans do. But their patterns of behavior do reflect our own, holding up a mirror to our own humanity. As the researchers put it: “GPT, like humans, appears to be an unsuspecting participant in our studies, unaware of its own shifts in attitude.”
Good times. Being good might actually feel good. A new study found that people who are seen by others as more moral— honest, kind, fair, dependable—also report greater happiness and life meaning. Instead of relying on self-reports, researchers gathered peer ratings from friends, coworkers, and acquaintances across the U.S. and China, then compared those reputations to the participants’ well-being. The link between moral character and happiness held strong, even after controlling for things like likability, religion, age, and gender. People who are judged as moral seem to enjoy better relationships and a deeper sense of integrity—factors long tied to well-being. Even when doing the right thing is hard or unpopular, it seems to yield long-term psychological rewards.
Smarty Pants. You probably know someone who thinks they know more about something than they really do. But you could never be described that way . . . could you? Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Ouch! That Feels Great: We generally think of pain as something to be avoided. But psychologist Paul Bloom says that as much as we're wired to avoid suffering, we also seek it out. This week, we begin a two-part mini series about the curious pleasure we take in certain forms of pain.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Brad Larsen’s Story: The last place Brad saw his mom before she died was at a diner in New York. A few years later, when he went back to that diner, the bartender asked if he remembered their table, and invited him to go sit there.
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.
MIND GAMES
First, I threw away the outside and cooked the inside. Then I ate the outside and threw away the inside. What did I eat?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
If 1=5
2=6
3=7
4=8
then 5=?
The answer: One. Since 1=5, 5=1.
A MOMENT OF JOY
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