Phone number can over ride reason
September 18, 2009 at 8:16 pm (Brain, Experiment, Primeing, Psychology, RadioLabs, Social Science)
The explanation given by the experimenters from yesterday, argued that the longer number kept the frontal cortex busier and was thus unable to out shout the more primal and lower brain areas. Therefore those with a shorter number still had the energy from their higher brain areas to ‘reason’ the healthier choice, while those with the longer number did not have as much higher brain function to talk sense to the lower regions.
And so the longer number was enough to occupy the higher brain areas to encourage less healthy choices.
Although this is a rather trivial choice, if this is extrapolated out to take into account the more complex things we are keeping in our brain at any given time as well as the complex decisions we are asked to make, this experiment could speak a to a larger problem.
If this is true, that is our higher brain areas can be preoccupied by even the simplest things, then it is all the more important to take time out of our days (perhaps 5 times?) to center our thoughts or quiet our minds so that we are able to free our higher brain areas.
A phone number can lead to cake…
September 17, 2009 at 4:01 pm (Experiment, Primeing, Psychology, RadioLabs, Social Science)
RadioLabs from NYC Public Radio told about an experiment in which people were in a room and were given a number to memorize and then walk down a hall and recite that number to another person down the hall. Everyone got a number but there were only two types of numbers given: a two digit and a seven digit number.
When they arrived at the end of the hall, but prior to reciting their number to ‘complete’ the experiment, everyone was offered a slice of cake or a cup of fruit as appreciation for participating in the experiment.
Time and time again people who had the two digit number to memorize selected the fruit. While those who had the seven digit number selected the cake.
The experimenters had a theory to explain this, but I am curious to know what you think about why this happened?
