Someone smart you admire, like a teacher, scientist or entrepreneur. Strange as it sounds, we actually take on the traits of the people we write about! The proof: In one study conducted at the University of Nijmegen in Holland, half the volunteers were asked to jot down a few sentences about a favorite teacher while the other half were asked to write about a rowdy soccer fan. Afterward, they were asked the same Trivial Pursuit questions. Those who wrote about the teacher gave correct answers 60% of the time while those who wrote about a rowdy soccer fan gave correct answers just 46% of the time!
Need further proof that writing about someone makes you take on their characteristics? Take a gander at this: In a similar study conducted at New York University, participants who were asked to make sentences out of words containing language about elderly people—such as “wrinkled”, “grey” and “bingo”—ended up moving more slowly and had less energy than participants who made sentences out of words that didn’t contain these “old” words!
[photo: HarryKeely]
