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Things could be better - by Adam Mastroianni

experimental-history.com · 3,937 words · saved by 1 readers

Some scientists get their ideas while beholding the wonders of the cosmos. Some scientists get their ideas while cutting their way through the Amazon with a machete. I get my scientific ideas while eating omelets with my friend Ethan. One day we were at the diner, trying to figure out why some things seem good and other things seem bad. For instance, why do people hate Congress and love their phones? Obviously the answer is “Congress is bad and my phone is good,” but what’s actually happening in people’s heads when they say that? If you ask a psychologist to explain how this works, they’ll give you a blank stare. We figured that judgments must be built on comparisons: to say that something is bad is really to say that it’s worse than something else. The thing you compare it to is just whatever pops into your head, even if it doesn’t exist, or can’t exist. Basically, if you can easily imagine something being better, then it must not be very good. So Congress seems bad because it’s easy

Things could be better Eight studies reveal a (possibly universal) bias in human imagination Adam Mastroianni Nov 15, 2022 618 175 33 Share Article voiceover 0:00 -21:59 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. photo cred: my dad Some scientists get their ideas while beholding the wonders of the cosmos. Some scientists get their ideas while cutting their way through the Amazon with a machete. I get my scientific ideas while eating omelets with my friend Ethan . One day we were at the diner, trying to figure out why some things seem good and other things seem bad. For in

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