I get so much inspiration from NPR...
I often wonder where people get ideas for their experiments. Take, for example, a study that I stumbled upon today, "Why Can't We Walk Straight?" What prompted research scientist Jan Souman to take a bunch of people, blindfold them, and see whether or not they can walk straight? Why does it even matter?
But, after reading more about this study, I realize that something as trivial as this does matter. It matters because this experiment helped unearth something about ourselves that we rarely explore. It helped unearth what exactly makes us tick, what makes us wake up each and everyday to face the light.
There were some telling results from this study. Souman found that when we are blindfolded and asked to walk in a straight line, we actually walk in circles. No one who he studied thought they were walking in circles, but in fact, they were. Also, when Souman took the blindfolds off, he found that on sunny, clear days his subjects walked in a relatively straight line. On cloudy days when visibility was low, they resorted back to walking in circles (Listen to the interview, it is cool).
Souman admits that there is no explanation for these results. But, I have a theory. I think that this study showcases a simple human necessity to "see" our goals. I do not necessarily mean we need to literally see what we are striving for, but we need to have some kind of visualization of where we are going - both literally and metaphorically. If we don't have this goal, this reason for living, we just walk in circles.
So, the next time you feel like you are "walking in circles," remember this study. Apparently, we all have the inclination to walk in circles. If you are starting to get a little dizzy, perhaps it is time to take off your blindfold.
19 comments:
As I was reading this, I couldn’t see how the English teacher in you was going to connect it to something other than scientific, but you did! I would have never realized that this physical experiment symbolizes the way we often behave in life, but I understand. We all have to have goals in order to guide us, or else we just wander through life complacently. Without having a general purpose in our lives, there is nothing to drive us, and we might just waste our time walking in circles, literally or metaphorically, depending on just how lost you are.
Not knowing what you want gets you nowhere. If we don't have a goal of some sort you never progress. Stuck in your circular pattern. I think sometimes, even when we know what we want, we still walk in circles. We don't always go after the things we long for. Taking an action gets you walking straight. I think you have to show an effort to walk straight. Moving forward is better than moving in circles, even if you never meet the horizon.
I think that setting a goal is really important for everyone to do. In a way it gives you a purpose in life, a reason for living. By doing this it assist you in focusing on certain things or even let go of other things. Your goal doesn't necessarily have to be a huge one. Even little goals keep you from walking in circles.
I found this post to be very interesting. It is funny how our bodies seem to function. It is so natural to just walk in a straight line when we can see, but when we can't it is a completely different situation. The idea of us walking in circles does seem to be just like why we have trouble doing something without knowing what were actually doing. As you said, it is time for us all to take the blind folds off!
It seems as if that you have to know where you are going to get going. You can't just float around expecting to make something of yourself. You actually have to look to see what faces you next in order to get to your goals. By doing this you can walk straight, rather than in a circle. This is something that it is important to understand.
This is a very interesting study. I never would have guessed that we would walk in a circle if blindfolded and depending on the weather too. I always joke around with my friends that I don't walk straight, but I never thought that someone would unconsciously walk in a circle. I like the way you took something as simple as a study and made it into something more that has more of a meaning and impact on readers. Many people may often feel as if they are going in circles and not achieving their goals or destination. Some may feel that on a cloudy day we get less done and moods are worse. I think that everything humans do have some sort of meaning, maybe this is an example of that.
Very interesting, I just wonder if other animals share this characteristic.
I really like this post it caught my attention. Every one should have a goal in life and strive for it. You can't live day to day not knowing what you want cause you will be going in circles. As you said when the days are clear we can walk straight, or knowing what we want to do during our lives. On the other hand, walking when its cloudy gets use nowhere cause there’s nothing to strive for.
I think that this study is really interesting and that your theory is true as well. I think that as humans we have to be striving towards a goal to get anywhere in life. We can’t just have dreams; we have to follow them in order to not walk in circles our entire lives.
I completely agree with this, if we don't have a topic or a destination, we won't get anywhere. How can we expect to achieve something without knowing what it is we want. I try to live my life by setting goals, without goals I feel lost. When it comes to sports I set goals in between games, telling myself I won't allow the other team to score, when I don't play like this I will find myself allowing goals in and not even caring. A goal guides me towards something, otherwise I would just wander around.
I didn't know how you were going to make a connection to this a first, but you did a good job of doing so. Everyone must have goals or they will keep walking in circles and have nothing to look forward to. They need to make a new path in life.
Surprisingly, This is the very first post I see where you're not rebelling against the world or criticizing the media. It was nice reading this, it's actually interesting. However, I wonder if this concept is the same with driving. Would people drive in circles when they're blindfolded? It's a dangerous experiment, but worth attempting, specially if the individual owns a hummer. Not that I own one, I'm just curious.
I never thought about it like this. If we just go through life with no motivations or goals, well just end up where we started, nowhere. Its similar to idea represented in Their Eyes Were Watching God with the ships on the horizon. You can't just let your dreams journey aimlessly, you have to set your goals and strive for it.
I actually performed an experiment similar to this one in my AP Psych class, where we were blindfolded and were directed by our partners to guide us where to walk. I had realized that neither my partner nor I walked in a straight line, but somewhat slanted. Unconsciously, our bodies were doing this, and we were unaware. It surprised me that people actually walk in circles though, especially more frequently on cloudy days. The way you interpreted this experiment is entirely true in that humans understand the purpose of life more when they set goals for themselves and try to accomplish them.
And, how about people who are born blind? (On the literal sense)
The staff probably helps them walk strait…
This was a very interesting insight on how people react on a daily basis. Most people just go through life with no higher goal in mind. They just repetitiously do the same thing every day. Just like how the people in the study walked in circles when they had no clear direction to go. If people had hopes and dreams that they think about at all time, they might start walking straight again.
This is a shocker; I never knew that if I were blindfolded I would walk in circles. I kind of want to try it out now! I would like them to find out the reason to why this happens. You do need to see or have some sort of visual for your goals I agree. I like how you related this study to that it’s very true. Without knowing what your goal is how are you suppose to get there? I can walk straight if I thought about it and looked for it and it should be the same way with our goals!
I enjoyed reading your blog this week because I agree with this. People need to have goals in life and having a purpose to keep moving foward because if not we'll still walk in circles.It is also interesting how you connected this experiment to something we can all relate to besides in a scientific manner.
Those knowing where you’re going really matter that much? Do we really need to see and understand everything and anything we see and do not see in order to enjoy it or grasp any fruit from it? I think in one hand it's good to have an idea of what a person wants and does not want from life but at the same time that page of mystery just makes life that much more interesting. I don’t know. maybe it's just me, but sometimes people should just closed their eyes and wonder in their little circles, smile without reason, for we all need those moments when not everything is cut and dry.
This is cool, I should stop walking in circles. I keep on procrastinating and then get disappointed at myself for not getting the grade I wanted.. ..my bed is just so inviting.
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