Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence

Clean hands make dirty thoughts, and seeing red doesn’t necessarily make you charge according to this heavily researched, if slightly dry overview of counterintuitive environmental psychology. Lobel, a research psychologist at Tel Aviv University, addresses studies that show the uniquely physical, “embodied” nature of intelligence—that our thoughts are often mimetic to seemingly unrelated environmental cues, and vice versa. Some are direct: surveys taken on heavy clipboards induce feelings of gravity and seriousness, while the experience of social isolation induces perceived coldness. Others are more curious: watch out for dirty tricks from someone who’s just washed their hands, as people who’ve recently bathed or washed their hands are more prone to cheat on tests, having mentally “washed away” their bad tendencies. Lobel collects a wide range of fascinating studies, and her book is filled with factoids and findings that surprise and delight, but she only occasionally provides meaningful post-study analysis. Too often she simply glosses over the sometimes contradictory findings of this research on embodied intelligence, making the book a just-so story—beguiling and quirky, but grasping for a clearer foundation. 4 b&w photos. (May)