I've seen references to this paper in articles such as this one, and each time, I've thought really?
The paper refers to a question that came up years ago -- why does the good guy in a gun fight usually win, even though he has to wait for the bad guy to 'signal' a start, and therefore can't possibly know when to go for his gun? The assumption was that this was a movie stratagem, just like the true lovers eventually finding each other anyway, but as it turned it, it's true: the guy who is reacting can do so faster than the person who's initiating reaction. The thought is that the reaction is triggering a defense mechanism, and our mind is more likely to spasm into action in defense, moving faster than the part of the brain that initiates a first-action. Sort of like how my cat will twitch and vanish when she thinks she's in danger, only stopping to look when she's far enough away to make it safe to do so.
Twitch first, think later. Not the survival principle I'd have picked!
3 comments:
twitch first.. seen all of our cats do that a hundred times.. even the dog does it now.. best to see what's going on first I think.. then to react!
Don't look back, they may be gaining on you - seems to be our cat's rule of paw.
Works for me.
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