Einstein’s theory of special relativity suggests that time passes at a different rate depending on the speed of your movement. Time is relative and depends on one’s movement. However, a certain amount of time can still feel really different to each of us, even when we are not traveling near the speed of light (like […]
Decision Making
The first time I stepped foot into a Whole Foods Market (a fancy, pricey grocery chain), I was amazed by the produce section replete with exotic fruits that I had never seen before: rambutan, cherimoya, horned melon, and most bizarrely, in this Westerner’s humble opinion, Buddha’s hand (see below left). Standing in the aisle, I […]
Doctor’s visit, shot, Band-Aid, and a lollipop. It’s a familiar scene from many a childhood vaccination. But what if inoculations could prevent more than just disease? Stephan Lewandowsky and Mushin Yesilada (pictured below) investigated just that in a recent experiment published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, a Psychonomic Society journal. In a large online […]
“We all sometimes feel that we make different decisions when we’re hungry. We can now be more specific about this, by distinguishing planned vs. habitual actions.” – Sanjay Manohar Hunger is a beast. It can make us act unlike ourselves at times. As every Snickers ad reminds us: you’re not you when you’re hungry. We […]
Have you ever played a video game where the first few levels are relatively easy and slow, but as you progress, the game becomes harder and faster? Years back, I played Tetris, Frogger, PacMan, Space Invaders, Centipede, etc. I can remember my 10-year-old self (or my 22-year-old graduate student self) working so hard to beat the […]
We all enjoy a tasty snack every now and then, and we usually have personal preferences for specific foods. Some of us may prefer chocolate, whereas others prefer potato chips. Sometimes we may get a little carried away snacking, ending up eating way more than we intended. So, what happens in the brain when we […]
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 […]
In all my years of schooling (four years of high school, four years of undergraduate studies, and six years of graduate school), one thing I have never been accused of is PREcrastination. Precrastination, refers to the tendency to hasten engagement in a subgoal at the expense of exerting extra effort. However, here I report that […]
The last few weeks, I’ve been very busy with the logistics of organizing a mid-size conference that will be held this summer. Some of the decisions, like the city and the approximate timing, have been made for me, but I’ve had to choose between competing hotels, make a schedule with talks, workshops, symposia, keynotes, breaks, […]
Those of you who are soccer fans may find the following passage easy to follow: “In a new age for football, AZ had a goal against Cambuur disallowed for a foul on the keeper after the decision was reviewed. Stijn Wuytens thought he had won the game for his side only to be called back […]