At a police academy, trainees were seated in class and assigned rooms in alphabetical order. Mady Segal later asked them to name their three closest friends: nearly 45% of choices were alphabetical neighbors. Our friendships spring far less from deep affinity than we think, and far more from simple proximity.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.