THINKER'S ALMANAC - March 21

According to a British study, what percentage of highway accidents result from “rubbernecking”?

Subject:  Curiosity - Pandora Effect

Event: The study entitled “The Pandora Effect: The Power and Peril of Curiosity” is published, 2016.

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect. -Steven Wright

In an ancient myth, the Titan brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus were tasked by Zeus with creating the first living creatures on earth.  Epimetheus created the animals, endowing each with a special trait. Prometheus formed man out of mud, and the Goddess Athena breathed life into the clay figure. Unfortunately, because Epimetheus had given away all the special traits, Prometheus needed to improvise.  First, Prometheus made man stand upright like the gods.  Second, he defied Zeus, by stealing fire and giving it to man.

For his theft of fire, Prometheus was punished by Zeus, who chained him to a mountain; each day an eagle would come and devour Prometheus’ liver, which would grow back again each night.

Zeus also came up with a creative plot to punish mankind for accepting the gift of fire from Prometheus.  He began by creating a woman named Pandora, fashioning her to look like the goddess Aphrodite. Zeus then brought Pandora to Earth to be Epimetheus’ wife.  As a wedding gift, Zeus gave Pandora a box but warned her never to open it.  Overcome by curiosity, Pandora ignored Zeus’ command.  As she opened the box, all the miseries of life -- greed, envy, hatred, pain, disease, hunger, poverty, war, and death -- flew out.  Pandora slammed the box’s lid closed; only one thing remained inside the box:  hope.

The Pandora myth speaks to us about the power of curiosity, and recent research by psychologists has determined that Pandora's decision to open the box is consistent with human nature.

In a study published on this day in 2016 by Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago, volunteers were given pens to use for filling out surveys.  The subjects had no idea that the focus of the study was not on what they wrote on the surveys; instead, it was on which pen they would select to write with.  One group of subjects -- called the “certain outcome” group -- was given 5 pens with green stickers and 5 pens with red stickers; the sticker on the red pens had  “warning electric shock” written on it while the green label indicated that clicking it would not result in a shock.  The second group of subjects -- called the “uncertain outcome” group -- were given 10 pens with yellow stickers that warned, “May or may not give a shock.” 

Logic might tell you that the harmless green pens would be the pen most likely to be clicked by the subjects; however, the actual results showed that the pens with the yellow uncertain label were clicked five times more frequently than any of the other pens.  Researchers call this the Pandora Effect, confirming that humans have an eager desire to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don’t know.

The Pandora Effect can lead to negative outcomes.  For example, a British study found that 29% of highway accidents were caused by “rubbernecking.”  Based on this conclusion, the UK Highways Agency has begun a program of putting up large screens at highway crash sites in order to block them from the view of other motorists.  

Of course, curiosity is not all bad.  It’s the trait that compels us to explore and to invent.  The philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that “Curiosity is the lust of the mind,” but often this results in a positive lust for knowledge that propels us forward to new discoveries.  Nevertheless, we should remember Pandora and try to use reason to assess risks versus rewards so that we are left with something more than just hope.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is the Pandora Effect, and how can it have both positive and negative implications for individuals?

Challenge - The Box is Half Full:  The story of Pandora’s Box tells us the negative side of curiosity.  What is an example of a story, true or fictional, that tells us the positive side of curiosity, such as a discovery that was sparked by a curious mind of an explorer or inventor?

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

March 21, 1969:  On this day the duo Simon and Garfunkel released the song “The Boxer.”  In addition to being a great song, it also features lyrics that echo psychological insights in our cognitive biases, specifically confirmation bias:  “A man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest.”

Sources:

1-Simon Oxenham.  “The Pandora Effect:  Why Curiosity Usually Beats Common Sense.” New Scientist 1 August 2016.