Naked Scientists Special Editions

The Challenges of Thinking

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How long could you be left alone with your thoughts? 10 seconds? A minute? Well, according to a new study published in the journal Science, people really don't like to be left alone with nothing to do other than think. In fact, when participants of this study were given the choice of thinking for up to 15 minutes or giving themselves a painful electric shock, 67% of men and a quarter of women would rather electrocute themselves. So why do people find thinking so un-enjoyable? Professor Timothy Wilson, psychologist at the University of Virginia, led the study and he spoke to Graihagh Jackson about the research...
2 Jul 2014 English United Kingdom Science

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