Is Ignorance Really Bliss?
A regular blog reader, Mitch Kosowski, sent along an interesting question: “Is ignorance truly bliss? Are people with lower intelligence happier than those with higher intelligence?” Let’s start with a quick literature review. Here are the findings reported by Simpson, L. (2001): Lisa Simpson: “As intelligence goes up, happiness goes down. See, I made a Read More »
Is a Wave of Scuppie Shoplifting Upon Us?
Perhaps not surprisingly, a crime trends survey of 52 U.S. retailers conducted by the Retail Industry Leaders Association found that 84 percent of them experienced an increase in “amateur/opportunistic” shoplifting last fall compared to the same period a year earlier. In this Gothamist interview, a self-proclaimed shoplifter, his/her identity obscured, details how he/she efficiently steals Read More »
My Research Makes a Cameo Appearance on Manswers
The television show Manswers on the TV channel Spike has to be one of the dumbest shows on the air. The purpose of the show is to provide answers to the sorts of questions that might arise just as the keg at the frat party starts to run low. For instance, “How do you untrap Read More »
FREAK Shots: Not Everyone Likes Free Parking
Blog reader Paul Gorbould emailed us this photo from a parking lot at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada: Photo: Paul Gorbould Gorbould understands the good intent of the spots: The site was recently declared a Unesco World Heritage Site, and it appears to have taken the designation Read More »
and 
. You can also watch it on 