You don’t need to lose a limb to get a phantom one: Phantom limbs are a pretty well-known after-effect of the loss of a real limb. Individuals unfortunate enough to lose the real thing often experience the sensations associated with an actual limb, including movements and pain. But it turns out you’ve got another option if you want to experience a phantom limb: have a stroke, instead. Individuals with strokes experienced everything from simply losing track of their actual limb to experiencing the sensation that one of their limbs was performing voluntary movements directed towards a specific goal. Overall, a stroke may be the better option, given that the only person to experience phantom limb pain in the study group was someone who actually did have a limb amputated prior to having a stroke.
Yes, we’re looking at you: Here’s a paper that attempts to answer a very serious question, laid out in the first sentence: “Why are people more irritated by nearby cell-phone conversations than by conversations between two people who are physically present?” The authors define the portion of a cell phone call that many of us suffer through as a “halfalogue,” and then demonstrate that, in contrast to a normal dialogue, people find the unpredictable nature of a one-sided conversation really distracting—so distracting, in fact, that it lowers their performance on cognitive tests.
Inaction speaks louder than words: Most of us talk about getting more fit and, for some of us, that means talk about moving somewhere where outdoor activities like hiking and biking are convenient options. But it turns out that simply wanting to be fit can be more important than actually making it easier to get fit. A paper looks at people who express interest in moving to take advantage of recreational activities. Those who actually make that move end up with higher body mass index compared to people who expressed interest but stayed in place.
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