The Laughing Man

40%
Flag icon
Expose a test subject to a series of unpredictable shocks, and she will activate a stress response. If you warn her ten seconds before each shock that it is coming, the stress response is lessened, as truth girds predictability, giving time to prepare a coping response. Give a warning one second before each shock, and there’s too little time for an effect. But give a warning one minute before and the stress response is worsened, as that minute stretches into feeling a year’s worth of anticipatory dread. Thus, truthful predictive information can lessen, worsen, or have no effect on ...more
Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will
Rate this book
Clear rating
Open Preview