That and This

“Despite what we read in the popular press, the only known symptom of ’empty nest syndrome’ is increased smiling.”

Daniel Gilbert in Stumbling on Happiness, a fascinating and entertaining book NewMexiKen will write more about later.

Trivia time: What’s the longest un-dammed river in the lower 48 states?

The New West Network tells how that river kept its course. (Thanks to Coyote Gulch for the pointer.)

It’s the Yellowstone.

At Freakonomics Blog Steven D. Levitt suggests you might want to invite your enemies over if you live in Missouri, where a new law says that “people are not required to retreat from an intruder and can use deadly force once the person illegally enters their home, vehicle or other dwelling, including a tent.” Who’s to say whether you invited them in or they entered illegally?

Do you know the Stroop Effect?

The Stroop Effect is one of the most-studied phenomena in psychology. The test is easy to administer, and works in a variety of contexts. The simplest way to see how it works is just to look the following two lists. Don’t read them, instead say the color each word is displayed in, as quickly as you can:

Source: Cognitive Daily, which has more.

Did you say the colors or read the words?

Did you know that zebras and horses could be bred?

Source: The Underwire, which has details.

And, this from Cheers and Jeers:

Percent of single American men and women who religious conservatives say should remain celibate until marriage: 100%

Percent of single American men and women who actually remain celibate until marriage (or so they say): 11%