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Why do we change our minds?

As a science cat, I’ve changed my mind a lot over the years. I used to wear a fancy neck scarf called a cravat all the time. Now I’m comfy in my lab coat.

I talked about that with my friend Makita White. She’s a graduate student in the psychology department at Washington State University.

She told me that we change our minds when we get new information or insight that tells us we need to make a different choice.

It turns out that we have lots of opinions and beliefs. They’re also called attitudes. We have attitudes about what we like to eat or wear. We have attitudes about other people and how the world should be.

White told me that having attitudes helps us out.

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Ask Dr. Universe

Tim Kohler to deliver Cordell Lecture

SFI External Professor Tim Kohler (Washington State University) will be delivering the Linda S. Cordell Lecture through the School for Advanced Research (SAR) on April 28, 2024, at the New Mexico History Museum.

In his lecture, Kohler, who recently co-led an SFI working group on “Inequality over the long-term,” will offer an archaeological account of wealth disparity worldwide, including the pre-Hispanic Southwest. His talk, “10,000 Years of Inequality: The Archaeology of Wealth Differences,” draws on new data from his Global Dynamics of Inequality (GINI) project.

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Sante Fe Institute

If Alexander the Great had invaded Rome, would he have won?

Alexander the Great conquered a massive empire that stretched from Balkans to modern-day Pakistan. But if, Macedonian king had turned his attention westward, it’s possible he would have conquered Rome, too, feasibly smiting the Roman Empire before it had a chance to arise. So why didn’t Alexander the Great try to conquer Italy ? The answer may be that he died before he got the chance.

Some ancient texts suggest that Alexander the Great was planning a military campaign in West that involved conquering parts of Italy, among other locations along the Mediterranean. Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, who lived in 1st Century AD, claimed that Alexander the Great had planned a series of conquests that, if successful, would have expanded his empire all the way to what is now Strait of Gibraltar. Alexander planned to build 700 ships to support this invasion, Rufus noted. Other ancient writers made similar claims. “Romans were convinced that Alexander would have attempted the conquest of Rome, but for modern historians, it is impossible to say,” Nikolaus Overtoom, an associate professor of history at Washington State University.

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Archeao Histories

 

 

 

Only 26% of Americans say they get at least eight hours of sleep

If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll.

But in the U.S., the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, both in the country’s beginnings and our current environment of always-on technology and work hours. And getting enough sleep can seem like a dream.

One likely reason for Americans’ sleeplessness is cultural — a longstanding emphasis on industriousness and productivity.

Jennifer Sherman has seen that in action. In her research in rural American communities over the years, the sociology professor at Washington State University says a common theme among people she interviewed was the importance of having a solid work ethic. That applied not only to paid labor but unpaid labor as well, like making sure the house was clean.

A through line of American cultural mythology is the idea of being “individually responsible for creating our own destinies,” she said. “And that does suggest that if you’re wasting too much of your time … that you are responsible for your own failure.”

“The other side of the coin is a massive amount of disdain for people considered lazy,” she added.

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