Source: scottfeldstein via Flickr
“Fair” has a spot on the water words that work list, and it’s such a powerful concept that it even dogs respond to it. According to recent research study summarized in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, dogs won’t “shake” for treats if they perceive other dogs are getting a bigger reward. If the the full scientific writeup is a more than you want to bite off, here’s a easy-reading digest that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
Most people will think this experiment is about dogs, but I think it’s about words and instincts. My key takeaway here is that “fair” is a universal concept, so deeply wired into our brains, that you should always try to claim it for your own. The next time you are trying to win somebody over to your side of an argument about nature protection and pollution control, I’m pretty sure you’ll get further by making the case for fairness than you will by explaining the definition of a “watershed.”
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