Of Joggers and Cockroaches

First, the cockroaches.

Did you know that cockroaches walk faster if other cockroaches are present? If they are learning an easy maze, they learn it more quickly if other cockroaches are present. But, if they trying to learn a difficult maze, the presence of other cockroaches slows them down.

One psychologist (jokingly, I think) suggested that it was the presence of cute cockroaches that slowed them down. I don't know how you would measure cockroach attractiveness. But that does lead to...

The joggers. Human joggers, that is.

Researchers had an attractive female sunbathe next to a jogging path, positioned so that she was looking at the joggers as they went by. Yep, males sped up as they jogged past her. When the researchers positioned her so that the joggers could see her but she could not see them, they did not speed up.

It was serious research, really. They were studying the question: is it the mere presence of someone that affects our behavior or is it "Evaluation Apprehension"? The answer is that it is the threat of evaluation that affects our behavior.