Rational?

Brainpower Newsletter

Think you're rational? Did you know that the way you move your head can affect your thinking? I think you'll enjoy this week's lead article.

Most of us think that we have rational opinions about the things we take a stand on. We like to think that it is just evidence and logic that rules us. We feel that we are immune to the persuasion techniques of politicians and others.

The truth is that most of our opinions are created from a variety of unidentified forces. We then defend them after the fact, with "reasoning," which is really just rationalization. The following example shows how unaware we are of the influences that shape our "thinking."

A Scientific Look At "Rational Opinions"

Gary Wells and Richard E. Petty coauthored a little known paper in the journal "Basic And Applied Social Psychology" back in 1980. It was titled "The Effects Of Overt Head Movement On Persuasion," and it reported on a study done with a large group of university students.

The students were told they were participating in a study to test the quality of headphones for an electronics manufacturer. Specifically, the company wanted (they were told) to test how well the headphones worked when the body...

Continued here:
http://www.increasebrainpower.com/rational-opinions.html

- One type of tortoise in the Galapagos Islands has an upturned shell at its neck. This enables it to reach its head up to eat cactus branches.

- Fungal remains found in coal is called sclerotinite.

- The national flag of Switzerland is square.

Two weeks ago, the following riddle was in the newsletter:

Can you punctuate the following, in order to make it a proper English sentence?

I said that that that that that man wrote should have been underlined

The answer (I said that,"that 'that' that that man wrote should have been underlined.") brought me several e-mails from readers who disagreed. In case you want an explanation of the solution, I created a page just for that purpose, which you can find here:

http://www.increasebrainpower.com/that-riddle.html

Think Right Now

How could a cowboy ride into town on Friday, stay two days, and ride out on Friday?

(Answer is below)

The release of endorphins caused by laughter lowers stress levels, which is good for long term brain health. Short-term, it is easier to concentrate with less stress. Laughter also tends to leave you more open to new ideas and thoughts.

Why not think of something funny right now?

New creative concepts and ideas. This is a page for everything that just doesn't fit into the other categories. This includes concepts like functional art. Imagine a field of man-made sunflowers, the faces of the flowers following the sun and collecting its energy through their solar cells. That is the kind of creative concept you'll find here.

A New Weather Forecasting Idea - You don't have to know about meteorology to produce a better forecast. Click on the link to see how this idea works.

Moving Sidewalk - There are moving sidewalks in airports, so why not ones that cross a city? Slower "feeder" sidewalks could lead up to and away from the high-speed main line that takes you at six-miles-per-hour through the city. It might even become a tourist attraction.

Subliminal Rehabilitation - If prisoners agreed to it, would there be any problem piping constant subliminal messages into their cells? They could be continually fed good thoughts, ideas, and life-changing affirmations.

Frozen Shoes - Do your...

Continued here:
http://www.999ideas.com/creative-concepts.html

Until next time,

Riddle Answer: His horse is named Friday!

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