The Power of Subconcious

Two recent studies have suggested that most people are totally unaware of their reasons for behaving as they do.

In 1998 two Dutch psychologists asked half a group of volunteers to carry out a simple mental exercise that involved imagined a football hooligan. All then had to answer some general knowledge group got 14% more answers correct, despite the fact that there was barely any difference in their actual level of intelligence.

Focusing on the body rather than the mind, research at New York University asked one grip of volunteers to do a mental task involving words relating to old age, such as 'wrinkled' and 'grey'. A second group were shown words unrelated to old age. The researchers then said the experiment was over secretly recorded the time each participant took to walk down the long hallway to the exit. those with old age on their mind took significantly longer to walk down the corridor. 

So it seems that if people had marginally more time to think about what they had to do, it would help them perform either better (or worse!) than normal at both mental and physical tasks.

Breaking The Rules

JOHN TRINKAUS, of the Zicklin School of Business, studies ordinary people going about their everyday lives. One of his specialities is the study of dishonest or anti-social behaviour. In his 25 years of research, one group of people has come to stand out as decidedly more likely than others to push boundaries. These are not disaffected teenagers or moist football supporters. They are women van drivers. 

Trinkhaus's finding is perhaps best illustrated by his extensive work secretly monitoring a supermarket's 'ten items or fewer' checkout over a period of nine years. as many of us have seen for ourselves, Trinkhaus found that some shoppers using this lane often had somewhat more items than they should in their basket; some cunningly placed their item in groups of ten and paid for each group separately. he found that a very high proportion of theses supermarket lane cheats were female van drivers. Furthermore, he has shown that a good deal more women than men van drivers break the speed limit, which he suspects is because they may have an unconscious need to out-do behaviour associated with men.

I Lost My Heart In Kerala (A PERFECT DAY)

A PERFECT DAY

I would probably wake up around 10 a.m. and tuck into a delicious Indian breakfast of pancakes with lots of curry powder. Then I'd take to the backwaters for three or four hours. Later on, having had an indulgent lunch, I'd lie in a hammock, sipping fresh coconut milk through a straw and reading a good book. I might follow in the footsteps of the Hollywood stars, who come to Kerala in search of Ayurveda, the natural Indian healthcare which dates back ore than 3,000 years. The treatments use herbal oils made from the exotic spices that are so plentiful here. Poured very slowly across your forehead, the oil feels like a cow is licking you; this may sound revolting but is actually very enjoyable and is supposed to be good for people suffering from the stresses and strains of modern life. 

After supper, totally relaxed, I'd head for bed, putting on an eye-mask in order to avoid seeing any of the local spiders!

I Lost My Heart In Kerala (WHY SHOULDN'T I MISS?)

WHY SHOULDN'T I MISS?

Take a trip along the backwaters? Gliding silently along in canoe, you get to see a rural Kerala preserved through the ages and completely hidden from the road. You'll pass locals doing their laundry in the river, schoolteachers taking classes on the banks and so on, which is an enchanting experience. Make sure you take lots of batteries for your camera. A stopover in the fascinating capital, Cochin, is also a must. A cluster of island surrounded by a network of rivers and lakes, Cochin is home to a unique culture. There's extraordinary fishing on the coast there; people hang from their boats into the water and pick up fish with their teeth, before chucking them into enormous nets. In the evenings, go to a restaurant and try the wide variety of fish Kerala is so famous for. Caught locally every day, it's always wonderfully fresh. 

I Lost My Heart In Kerala (WHY?)

WHY?

It's incredibly beautiful and hypnotic, with lush vegetation, white beaches and vividly green countryside. entire communities live along the canals and lagoon, which stretch over 1,900 km, acting as vital means of communication between remote villages and crowded towns. in order to avoid the monsoon season, i went in january. at that time of year the weather is great and you are normally guaranteed warm days and cooler, comfortable nights.

I didn't expect to find it still so unspoilt given that it's relatively close to Goa. People don't seem to have worked out yet that Kerala is a lot nicer and much less touristy. So you feel as if you're discovering somewhere entirely new, like you're on totally different planet. However, now that it's been nominated one of National Geographic's '5 must see destination of a lifetime', it's only a matter of time before all this now changes. 

The Real Spiderman

Alain Robert has climbed over 70 of the world's tallest buildings, including the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in France and the 508 metre Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan. It's not surprising people call him 'The real SpiderMan'.

Alain began climbing on the cliffs near where he lived in Valence, France. One day, when he was 12, he got home and realised that he'd forgotten his keys. So he climbed up the side of the building and into his family's flat through the window, which was eight floors up. That was when he decided to become a professional climber.

In his teens he climbed all the difficult mountains in the Alps and found them"rather disappointing". However, he did have a few bad falls. In 1982 he fell 15 metres and was in a coma for five days. Doctors said he'd never climb again. Alain was back on a mountain after only six months.

In 1994 he climbed his first skyscraper, in Chicago, and realised he enjoyed doing what seemed impossible. He climbs without ropes or protective equipment, just with his hands and feet. He's always very careful, but admits that the danger is part of the attraction. Also he usually climbs without permission, which means he often gets arrested. "That's no problem", says Alain. "I prefer staying in prison to staying in hospital."

For the release of the first Spider-Man film in 2002. Alain climbed the highest skyscraper in Venezuela dressed as Spider-Man and was watched by over 10 million people on TV. However, Alain doesn't climb just to provide entertainment for the public. For him, climbing is a form of relaxation, but there's also a deeper meaning to what he does. "It gives me a sense of what is important on Earth," he says. "When you're facing your own death, money is not that important."

Learn To Be Lucky

In June 1980, Maureen Wilcox became one of the US lottery’s biggest losers. She chose the winning numbers for both the Rhode Island and Massachusetts lotteries. But unfortunately for her, the numbers she picked for the Rhode Island lottery were the correct ones for the Massachusetts lottery, and vice versa.

We all know lucky people they have good relationships, successful careers and are very satisfied with their lives. But what makes them so lucky? Dr Richard Wiseman has spent ten years studying luck and has found that lucky people have a completely different approach to the world.

FOUR WAYS TO BE LUCKY

The results of his work revealed that people aren’t born lucky. Instead, fortunate people behave in a way that creates good luck in their lives.

·      They notice opportunities that happen by chance more often than unlucky people. They are also more open to meeting new people and having new experiences.

·      They tend to make good decisions by listening to their intuition.

·      They’re optimists and are certain that the future is going to be full of good luck. This positive attitude often makes good things happen.

·      They’re also good at coping with bad luck and often cheer themselves up by imagining things could be worse than they are.

LUCK SCHOOL

Dr Wiseman tested his ideas by starting a luck school, where he hoped that unlucky people could learn to be lucky. 400 volunteers spent a month doing exercises to help them think and act like a lucky person. These exercises helped the volunteers spot opportunities that happen accidentally, trust their intuition more, feel sure they’re going to be lucky and become better at dealing with bad luck. The results were dramatic and showed that 80% of the volunteers were now happier and more content with their lives and most important of all, luckier.

Dr Wiseman’s ideas won’t help you win the lottery, but they might help you in your day to day life- finger crossed!