“Hope is a choice. It's something that we work on, and it's a skill that we can build.”
—Jamil Zaki
BRAIN WAVES
A new hope. We think of hope as a belief – you either feel hopeful about the state of the world or you don’t. But new research describes hope as more of an emotional state. In a series of experiments, researchers tested whether hope could be induced by looking at various images. They found that certain photos – babies and tree saplings – made people experience a feeling of hope. Why babies and saplings (which are, essentially, “baby” trees)? These images “might induce hope as they represent young/early life,” the researchers wrote. And while these particular feelings of hope didn’t necessarily change a person’s perspective on life, volunteers did report feeling more hopeful after viewing the photo. This points to an important distinction between hope as a person’s general view of the world, researchers say, and as a feeling that can be cultivated. The researchers concluded that hope may be a way to “promote effective self-regulation.”
Illusions. Ever buy a bag of fruit from the grocery store only to come home disappointed? You may or may not have noticed that when you pick up a net bag full of oranges at the store, they sometimes appear less vibrant when you take them out of the net at home. This is due to a phenomenon known as the “confetti illusion,” which happens when objects “appear to take on the color of a pattern placed over them,” according to Scientific American. In a paper, perception psychologist Karl Gegenfurtner describes his own experience falling for this illusion after a trip to the grocery store to buy what he believed were perfectly ripe oranges. "At home, when I took out the oranges from the net...each orange, beautifully colored within the net, turned into an abysmal shade of green.” In the paper, he breaks down the phenomenon and explains how it works: “The thin weave of the orange net is assimilated into the skin color of the orange, which then assumes its beautiful color...Light is being reflected back and forth between netting and orange skin, and this has the tendency to increase saturation.” Next time you find yourself in the produce aisle, remember: looks can be deceiving.
Thanks for the memories. It happens to the best of us: we blank on someone’s name, or forget an important meeting, or bomb a test we thought we’d ace. So how can we build memories that stick? Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
You 2.0: Fighting Despair: Every morning, you wake up and face the world. What does it look like to you? Do you see a paradise of endless opportunities, where people are friendly and helpful? Or a world filled with injustice, where people cannot be trusted? In the final installment of this year’s You 2.0 series, we talk with psychologist Jamil Zaki about how we become disillusioned and distrustful of the world, and how to balance realism with hope.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Megan Atherton’s Story: This week on My Unsung Hero: The morning after Megan Atherton was evicted from her home, her car broke down. She had nowhere to go — until a stranger stepped in to help.
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.
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MIND GAMES
What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
If you multiply this number by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What number is this?
Answer: zero
A MOMENT OF JOY
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