Here’s the thing about a big group of people: the vast majority of us (save a few morons) realize that we need a way to pool and direct resources (i.e., a tax system or government), but individually, we’d really like to avoid either. Of course, when anyone else tries to … Read More
Money is a fickle mistress. According to a new study published in PNAS, introducing money into a small group causes a drop in trust, but doing the same to a larger group will increase trust. In the study, participants in groups that ranged in size from two to thirty two … Read More
Does constantly seeing and hearing about bombings on the news stress you out? Here’s a suggestion: after you’ve heard it once, turn the news off. Sifting through all the grisly details will only stress you out? By how much? According to a study published in PNAS, people who experienced the … Read More
Let’s revisit the prisoner’s dilemma. In a nutshell, two prisoners are being interrogated separately. If they both talk to the cops, they both serve hard time. If neither talks, they take a light sentence. However, if one talks and the other doesn’t, the talker walks free and the other does … Read More
We pay a whole lot of money for celebrity memorabilia; Steve McQueen’s jacket from Bullitt was expected to go for up to $800,000, last we checked (and then stopped checking, since that’s a tad out of our price range). So what gives? Why not just get a replica, which is … Read More
