High ceilings and abstract thinking

I'm now living in house with 10 foot ceilings, almost two feet taller than the ceilings in my previous house. I now read that these new tall ceilings might affect the way I think.

Across several experiments, the researchers found evidence that high ceilings seemed to put test participants in a mindset of freedom, creativity, and abstraction, whereas the lower ceilings prompting more confined thinking. In one test, for instance, participants in the 10-foot room completed anagrams about freedom (with words such as "liberated" or "unlimited") significantly faster than participants in the eight-foot room did. But when the anagrams were related to concepts of constraint, with words like "bound or "restricted," the situation played out in reverse. Now the test participants with 10-foot ceilings finished the puzzles slower than those in the eight-foot rooms did. Another experiment asked participants to identify commonalities among a list of 10 different sports. Those in the high-ceiling group came up with more of these themes, and had their themes judged more abstract in nature, compared with participants in the low-ceiling group. Meyers-Levy and Zhu suspect this outcome emerged from the psychological freedom that comes with taller ceilings—a mindset that might also enhance creative thinking.

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We’re from the government. Trust us.

If I may make a gross over-characterization. Both people on the left and right trust the government, but in different respects. People on the right trust law enforcement and the military. People on the left trust government-run social programs. Both are victims (as we all are) of confirmation bias. Here is a sad story of gross malfeasance by the CIA, and attempts to make the information public. The whistleblower in this case, Jeffrey Sterling could be facing a stiff sentence for allegedly revealing that the CIA handed (to Iran) valuable information regarding the construction of a nuclear bomb to Iran. Also discussed is the equally sad story of reporter James Risen spending substantial time in prison for protecting his sources. In light of this frustrating set of revelations, the question arises: How are citizens supposed to know what their government is up to? Barack Obama has continued and even increased crack-downs on whistle-blowers and surveillance on members of the press. How are citizens supposed to stay informed. What is the means to rope in irresponsible law-enforcement? Given this event and these trends, the "answer" is that citizens should simply trust their government.

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Nation of skimmers rather than readers

From the Washington Post, we learn that we are re-shaping our brains to accommodate the Internet.

Humans, they warn, seem to be developing digital brains with new circuits for skimming through the torrent of information online. This alternative way of reading is competing with traditional deep reading circuitry developed over several millennia.

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Navy Seal guide to succeeding.

Eric Barker has offered another excellent batch of self-improvement advice, this time on the importance of grit. Here is the conclusion to his link-rich article: Purpose and meaning. It’s easier to be persistent when what we’re doing is tied to something personally meaningful. Make it a game. It’s the best way to stay in a competitive mindset without stressing yourself out. Be confident — but realistic. See the challenges honestly but believe in your own ability to take them on. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Grit comes a lot easier when you’ve done the work to make sure you’re ready. Focus on improvement. Every SEAL mission ends with a debrief focusing on what went wrong so they can improve. Give help and get help. Support from others helps keep you going, and giving others support does the same. Celebrate small wins. You can’t wait to catch the big fish. Take joy where you can find it when good times are scarce. Find a way to laugh. Rangers, SEALs, and scientists agree: a chuckle can help you cope with stress and keep you going.

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