May 3, 2007

better living through science

A little while back I linked to a Slate article asking neurologists and neuroscientists if and how understanding the brain has changed their lifestyle. Now, NewScientist offers advice for the adviceless, compliments of the latest research [sub. req.]. A sample:
Fessler and colleague Kevin Haley discovered that angry people were less generous in the ultimatum game - in which one person is given a sum of money and told to share it with an anonymous partner, who must accept the offer otherwise neither gets anything. A third study by Nitika Garg, Jeffrey Inman and Vikas Mittal from the University of Chicago found that angry consumers were more likely to opt for the first thing they were offered rather than considering other alternatives. It seems that anger can make us impetuous, selfish and risk-prone.
Sure, you've always known it, but now science proves it.

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