Author: Josh Witten

http://www.thefinchandpea.com

Why People Believe Silly Things

In a paper in Science from October 2008, Jennifer Whitson and Adam Galinsky report that placing people in situations where they lack control increases the false perception of patterns because of a need to impose structure on even random events.

This study is very interesting because it helps us understand why we develop superstitions and the like, which are based on false pattern recognition. It does not, however, speculate on why some of those superstitions take hold and last (e.g., buildings without thirteenth floors) and some do not (e.g., my efforts to get my tee ball team to wear pink socks after a 3-4, 4RBI game and a laundry accident).

I, however, am not above some wild speculation. The defense of superstitions, quack medical treatments, etc. frequently goes like this: A medical treatment works or it does not work. If it works, people who use the treatment are more likely to live, people who don’t are more likely to die and the treatment keeps getting used. If it does not work, people who use the treatment are more likely to die, people who don’t are more likely to live and the treatment stops getting used. That makes intuitive sense. It sounds a lot like selection, and we like selection. Continue reading “Why People Believe Silly Things”

Lactile Vulcanism (New Rugbyologism)

You never know when inspiration will strike. Literally. In a big, splattery mess of new Rugbyologism:

  • lactile vulcanism, n, the epic spit-up Offspring 2.02 delivered unto mine lap in mid-feeding last night.

When Supplements “Work”. . .Light Headed, for the Wrong Reasons

Let’s say you have diabetes or heart disease and are taking nitrates for your condition. And, unfortunately, maybe you need a little more lead in your pencil, which is even more common with some of these conditions. Well your doctor might hesitate to prescribe the most common pharmaceuticals for erectile dysfunction, like tadalafil (Cialis) or sildenafil (Viagra), because these drugs taken in combination with nitrates can cause dangerously low blood pressure. So, in your desperation, you might think about reaching for one of those sexual enhancement supplements about which we all get countless emails. Continue reading “When Supplements “Work”. . .Light Headed, for the Wrong Reasons”

Kosher Bacon Argument (New Rugbyologism)

Well, that did not take long. See the full list of Rugbyologisms here. Our newest addition is:

  • Kosher bacon argument, idiom, the argument that religious organizations ban the behaviors that their leadership secretly long to engage in, usually used in reference to Catholic molestation scandal and credited to Christopher Hitchens.

Rugbyologisms

Through hard won experience, we have learned that Josh frequently finds the English language inadequate in its descriptive variety, requiring the establishment of new terms, specifically crafted for the task at hand. The right tool for the right job, wot? We have also found that a concise dictionary of these terms is necessary in order to have any idea what he is on about. A regularly (or, you know, as often as Josh makes something up) updated version of this glossary can be found at the Rugbyologisms Page. Continue reading “Rugbyologisms”