Improbable Research

Robin Abrahams, our psychology editor observes:

Scientists have proved, beyond much doubt, that prayer is valuable. Yet another study has been done on the efficacy of prayer: this new one, with over 1,800 subjects, showing yet again that prayer has no direct effect on the health of the person prayed for. The New York Times reports (today, March 31, 2006) that:

The study cost $2.4 million, and most of the money came from the John Templeton Foundation, which supports research into spirituality. The government has spent more than $2.3 million on prayer research since 2000.

None of the studies thus far have indicated that prayer is efficacious in healing the sick. But the experiments show that prayer is good for generating grant money.

Wrigley, the world’s leader in chewing gum, announced today the establishment of the Wrigley Science Institute to study whether chewing gum may help consumers as a tool in weight management, stress relief and increasing alertness and concentration. “The emerging science behind these benefits supports what we’ve heard anecdotally from consumers for years…,” said Surinder Kumar, Wrigley’s Chief Innovation Officer.

So says a March 29, 2006 press release. The institute’s Executive Director is Gilbert A. Leveille, PhD. Dr. Leveille is perhaps best known for two studies he co-authored:

“In vivo metabolism of Salatrim fats in the rat” (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1994)

and

“Influence of periodicity of eating in the chicken” (Am J Physiol 209: 153-157, 1965)

Some people are born great, while others just thrust it upon themselves

As in baseball, a reviewer must “call it as he sees it”. My call is that this book is pretty awful. However, reviewers sometimes nod off, missing qualities in a book with cover plaudits by Kurt Vonnegut, V.S. Ramachandran, Floyd Bloom, James Watson and Howard Gardner. If I am wrong and Gardner is right about “a clear, readable synoptic account of current knowledge in human creativity”, then here are some maxims for emulating Nancy Andreasen’s way of communicating science…

So begins Chris McManus’s review [click here to read the entire review] of the book The Creating Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius, by Nancy Andreason. The review appears in the March 26, 2006 issue of the Times Higher Education Supplement.

Dr. Andreason is a prominent, much-decorated figure in her many fields of endeavor, which are highlighted by schizophrenia and impotence.

Executive alignment — the concept is either vaguely magnificent or magnificently vague. But which? To find out, one need only ask an expert:

BOB FRISCH, MANAGING PARTNER

Bob has 20 years of consulting experience spanning multiple industries and issues, with particular emphasis on corporate vision, strategy, growth, customer focus and executive alignment.

“Canine Reactions to the Mona Lisa” is a new study by the same team who, more than a decade ago, published “Feline Reactions to Bearded Men.” The new report appears in the March/April issue of the Annals of Improbable Research.