Was Zum Teufel?!
Sat Oct 25 – In today’s news…well, actually, it was in the other day’s news…NPR posted a story about a study linking warm hands with a warm heart:
If you’re going out on a date anytime soon, you may find this bit
of science news useful: In a carefully controlled experiment, people
who held something warm were more likely to perceive someone else as
emotionally “warm” – and they were more likely to behave in a friendly,
generous way themselves.
Now, I don’t know about you other dog owners out there, but what immediately came to my mind after reading this was…dog poop. Yes, that’s right. Canine feces. Nice, warm, and about 100-degree-ish. And how holding a bag of something warm (e.g., dog poop) because you live in a city and have to pick up after your dog EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY GO can actually be quite nice when it’s cold outside and you’ve forgotten your gloves. I mean, as long as there’s a plastic barrier between your skin and the doggie doo, well, it makes for a very effective hand warmer.
So to now read evidence that holding something warm in your hands is good for the soul – can make people feel kind and generous, even? Well, it makes what to some might seem a really disgusting task actually not so disgusting after all. And lucky me, I have two dogs to ensure that my supply of warm stuff to hold is unfailingly delivered.
Speaking of dog poop, I gotta go. Olso and Mies need a walk.