Fun facts about secret choices, dentists named Dennis, hidden biases, and more.
More Astounding Facts About Mental Behavior
Dentists Named Dennis
Dentists are frequently named Dennis. Disproportionately so. Notice the poetic name-resemblance. Most illogical, Captain. A career-choice based on similar sounds ?? It seems ridiculous, but it's a statistical fact. The unconscious brain controls a huge part of decision-making. Perhaps the unconscious is a superstitious puppeteer. Or else a marketing genius -- could small ironies of similar sounds offer "soft sell" charm to future clients? Um, maybe.
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Booze protects the brain from dementia in later life. This could be due to its anti-inflammatory properties, or the fact that social drinkers are more...well, sociable. Keep in mind that this benefit applies to moderate drinkers. Alcoholics are another matter.
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Marketing and suggestion affect our human taste buds. According to studies, higher-priced wine tastes better than identical cheaper wines. Consumers are also susceptible to other mind-altering gimmicks: color, bottle shape, etc. Ice cream packaged in circular tubs is preferred over ice cream in box-shaped containers. (It often costs more, too.) Placebo, anyone?
As you step further and further away from these two faces, each expression appears to change places. Calm becomes angry, and vice-versa. (Talk about two-faced....)
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What's in a name? Plenty, if it's part of an email address. A German study confirms that personality traits can be inferred from emails like Hula-Hoop-Queen@yahoo.com and Prof_Jones@hotmail.com. Correctly-guessed characteristics include traits like openness, narcissism, agreeableness, etc.
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Finally, in our latest homage to Darwin, a neuro-scientific truth...
Return Home Astounding Facts About Mental Behavior, Part 1
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