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[21 Aug 2011|02:48pm] |
Psychologically speaking, non-sexual touches promote kindness and compassion between strangers. For example, a waitress who has touched a patron on the shoulder in a playful or conversational way - not in an inappropriate - is more likely to receive a sizable tip than one who keeps their distance from the customers. In a study less than ten years ago, participants were asked to sign a petition. While 55% of those not touched agreed to sign it, this went up to 81% of those participants touched once on the upper arm. A second study asked people to fill in a questionnaire. The same touch increased compliance from 40% to 70%.
Essentially, to get what you want from people you aren't comfortable with, pretend you are comfortable with them. A light touch on the arm, apparently, does wonders.
However, there is evidence that these light touches can gain the opposite effect - but according to the studies, that result is pretty much exclusively contained in male-to-male casual touches. We suspect homophobia and gender constructs are to blame for that.
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[12 Jun 2011|08:01pm] |
The largest salt flat in the world is in Salar de Uyuni. Apparently, once, it was part of an extremely oversized prehistoric lake, but these days during the rainy season, when the flatland is covered in water, it becomes a perfect crystalline mirror, reflecting the sky. They say it's like walking the border between the heavens and the earth.
Hm.
I also learned today that Muggle contraceptives such as condoms are not entirely effective, but may be used in addition to Wizarding birth control methods without any harmful side effects. And someone has to pose the question, for the sake of argument: teach abstinence or teach contraception?
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