Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things

Science News,  Oct 20, 2007  

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QUIRKOLOGY: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things RICHARD WISEMAN

A student of human behavior for decades, Wiseman has discovered interesting facts about lying, decision making, and humor. Among the behaviors he has investigated in small but ingenious experiments is many people's belief that birth date affects personality. Despite the inaccuracy of horoscopes, many people swear that their astrologsigns fairly accurately describe their lives. This is so, the author explains, because horoscope writers make their predictions believable by keeping them general and flattering. Wiseman also examines people's relatively poor ability to recognize a lie, the superstitious worry surrounding the number 13, and the fact that good-looking criminals often get off with lighter prison sentences than their less attractive counterparts do. In his quest to unlock the secrets of what makes a joke funny, Wiseman set up a Web site asking for joke submissions and ratings--and made some interesting and disturbing findings about the darker side of humor. He explains these and other strange aspects of human behavior, revealing just how quirky the human mind is. Basic, 2007, 323 p., hardcover, $26.00.

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