Everyday scenes in bilingual cities can be simultaneously perplexing and fascinating when experienced for the first time. Imagine sitting in a café and eavesdropping on a casual conversation between two friends at a nearby table. They can both speak in a different language, and do so smoothly and naturally, engage in code-switching where they transition from one to […]
Goals and temptations. The first, the very substance of life. But, oh, the second, they are everywhere! Both are desirable in their own ways, and they do not always align. We wouldn’t call them temptations if they did, would we? In other words, we often need to decide between behaviors leading to short-term immediate rewards […]
My friend recently exclaimed with delight, “You will not believe this!” but before she could tell me what I wouldn’t be able to believe, she answered her phone. What was the news? She sounded happy, for sure. Was she awarded major funding? Did her crush just ask her out? Did she solve a difficult problem? Much […]
Have you ever been hit on the head? How long it’s been since you did? Blows to the head are not uncommon, they can happen in sports, accidental falls, fights, and in plenty of other ways. Heck, they can happen sometimes just because you crouch down looking for something and then miscalculate your distance when […]
Kim and Drew want to go out for the evening. Kim wants to attend a symphonic orchestra, but Drew wants to attend a gymnastics competition. While they do not agree on what event to attend, both prefer to do something together rather than alone. The situation constitutes an example of an experimental game, a set […]