Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes someone naughty or nice? During the run-up to Christmas you might hear those words being used a lot. Some people even say that any bad behaviour could land you on Santa’s naughty list, and that he has special powers that can work out if you’ve been well behaved. The only problem is deciding what is wrong and what is right is not always as simple as it sounds. Is there any science Father Christmas can use to make writing his list a bit fairer? Let’s find out.
Santa
Santa’s system Nobody wants to be in Santa’s bad books. Depending on where you live in the world, you’ll find yourself receiving a lump of coal (UK), a straw goat (Sweden), no gifts at all, being whipped with twigs (Austria, Czech Republic), or put into a sack and taken to Spain (Holland). It seems simple enough – good behaviour brings nice presents, but break too many rules and you get nothing – but is the system fair? What if being naughty isn’t a choice but a natural behaviour?
Psychologists (scientists who study the human mind and behaviour) have specifically looked into the question of why some people are more disobedient and mischievous than others. The answer, it seems, could lie in the brain.
Mind business
この記事は The Week Junior Science+Nature UK の Issue 69 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Week Junior Science+Nature UK の Issue 69 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Are cats smarter than dogs?
They're the UK's top pets, but which is more intelligent? You decide!
Could people turn Mars into another Earth?
Sven Bilén explores how humans might make a home on another world.
FUNNY BY NATURE
Claire Karwowski tracks down the wackiest wildlife that's cracking up the animal kingdom.
WEIRD SCIENCE
A round-up of the strangest science stories from around the world.
Guardians of the forest
Meet the incredible people protecting the Amazon rainforest.
The Mariana Trench
Dive in to find out how far down the ocean goes and what it's really like at the bottom.
Megan McCubbin
Meet the zoologist trying to change people's views of animals with a bad rep.
MAX POWER
From the second you wake up in the morning, your way of life is made possible thanks to the amazing power of electricity.
Your heart has a "brain"
New research by scientists at Sweden, and Columbia University, in the US, suggests that your heart could have its own \"mini brain\".
Ethiopian wolves could be furry pollinators
Sweet-toothed Ethiopian wolves have been seen lapping up nectar have been seen happing up nectar from red hot poker flowers.
