Mind Over (Brain) Matter
The subconscious mind may be more accessible than we think, according to research cited in the New York Times. Benedict Carey writes:
In another experiment, published in 2005, Dutch psychologists had undergraduates sit in a cubicle and fill out a questionnaire. Hidden in the room was a bucket of water with a splash of citrus-scented cleaning fluid, giving off a faint odor. After completing the questionnaire, the young men and women had a snack, a crumbly biscuit provided by laboratory staff members.The researchers covertly filmed the snack time and found that these students cleared away crumbs three times more often than a comparison group, who had taken the same questionnaire in a room with no cleaning scent. “That is a very big effect, and they really had no idea they were doing it,” said Henk Aarts, a psychologist at Utrecht University and the senior author of the study.
The article is completely fascinating, and it's nice to see coverage of the brain that emphasizes something other than chemical reactions and genetic sequencing.
Comments
This sort of reminds me of sociology-type studies I've seen that show well-maintained neighborhoods are less likely to be vandalized than poorly maintained ones. It seems to make sense that environment would affect behavior, both of individuals and groups. A more pleasant environment causes more responsible behavior - what a surprise!
Posted by: Kent | July 31, 2007 11:11 PM