The Curious Nature of Human Nature

The Economist of July 14. 2012 (p. 71) contained an entertaining and information article on some recent findings in psychological research.  Researchers have found:

1.  Give a person an icy drink at a party and it causes them to be more likely to perceive other guests are giving them the cold shoulder.  On the other hand a warm drink makes people feel more warm towards others (hence the popularity down through history of the coffee shop?).

2.  A Canadian study found that subjects who sat at a slightly wobbly table next to a wobbly table were more likely to opine that relationships of celebrities were unstable.  They also were more likely to rate stability as a more important factor in their own relationships.