“We underestimate the influence that we have over other people.” — Psychologist Vanessa Bohns
BRAIN WAVES
Trust me. When we’re honest with others, they tend to trust us more. But does the opposite also hold true? Does trusting others cause them to be more honest with us? A new study suggests that the answer is yes — at least when it comes to kindergarteners. The study looked at the cheating behavior of five- to six-year-old children. In some conditions, kids were entrusted with the task of holding on to the adult researcher’s house keys. In some cases, they were explicitly told they were being trusted with this task, and in other conditions, they were told about the importance of this task. The kindergartners were then given a small quiz with the answers hidden nearby. The researchers would leave the room and in some instances tell the kids, “Don’t peek at the answer key when I am away. I trust you not to peek at it.” When the kids were entrusted with the key-holding task, they were less likely to cheat. “When children are trusted to help and receive explicit [affirmations] of trust from another person, they reciprocate by acting honestly toward that person,” the study concluded. “Taken together, these findings support the reciprocity hypothesis . . . trust causes children to be more honest, not less.”
Fatal Distraction. Multitasking isn’t great for work, and it turns out, it’s not great for pleasure, either. A new study looked at the effects of distraction on enjoyable experiences. In one experiment, researchers had people rate how much they expected to enjoy their lunch later that day, for example. After rating their expectations, people were then asked to eat lunch in one of three conditions: zero distractions, moderate distractions (watching a video) or in a highly distracted condition that involved playing Tetris. People who ate lunch with distractions were more likely to report back that their lunch was less satisfying and enjoyable, and this was associated with more snacking afterward. "Overconsumption often results due to a lack of self-control," said Stephen Lee Murphy, the study’s lead author. "However, our findings suggest overconsumption may also often be driven by the simple human desire to reach a certain level of enjoyment from an activity. When distraction gets in the way, it’s likely we may try to compensate by consuming more."
When cravings call. Speaking of consuming more, we’ve all had those days when all we want is a little treat. How should we respond to our many cravings? Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Innovation 2.0: The Influence You Have: Think about the last time you asked someone for something. Maybe you were nervous or worried about what the person would think of you. What you probably weren’t aware of was the pressure you were exerting on that person. This week, we revisit an episode about a phenomenon known as “egocentric bias.” We talk with psychologist Vanessa Bohns about how this bias leads us astray, and how we can use this knowledge to ask for the things we need.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Patricia Nieshoff’s Story: In 2006, Patricia's three-year-old son had a grand mal seizure. She was a single mother, with no one to accompany her to the hospital. But an hour into her hospital stay, a familiar face appeared.
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
Alice lives in a one-story house where everything is green. The carpet is green, the tile is green, and the cabinets are green. What color are the stairs?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
Say my name, and I am no more. What am I?
Answer: Silence
A MOMENT OF JOY
Did you catch the northern lights? Here are some images from around the world.
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