Chill out, calm down, chillax. We hear these messages frequently. The truth is, most of us don’t care to comply. In our time, we have seen the rise of the anti-relaxation movement. Given the choice between lowering tension and increasing arousal and excitation, loads of us prefer sensory overload to sensual enlargement. But it’s not […]
The Most Important Learning (10/13/14)
It’s time for a very short quiz. Do you learn more – Taking a walk across an abandoned car park Or Studying for a required calculus test? Teachers, academics and most folks will probably choose #2. Even if we don’t like calculus, we’re taking a test. That’s gotta be important. Yet most human learning does […]
Your pilot is falling asleep on the plane. Should you be worried? (3/21/12)
Sleepy, Sleep Pilots A recent Sleep In America poll found that a quarter of pilots feel sleepy on the job. Another 60% nap on the job, and 20% feel they have made serious errors as a result of sleepiness. Why Is This Happening? Shift work. Similar problems occur with train drivers. Only about half of […]
Prepare for daylight savings (3/9/11)
Thieves of Time People don’t get enough light in their lives. They really become distressed when governments take sunlight away from them – rather like officials increasing the tax on air. With daylight savings approaching this weekend, the politics of daylight are heating up. Scotland The most recent example of public unhappiness is Scotland. Attempts […]
Are smokers made or born? Biological clocks and smoking (11/16/11)
Biological Clocks and Smoking Addictions possess a high genetic component, and many varied protein and control genes affect who and who does not get hooked. Some of these genes involve our powerful biological clocks. Night people, or owls, smoke more than morning types. Owls get more addicted to cigarettes, and have a harder time getting […]