November 26, 2007

Study finds animals have personality - We've known this for a loooong time but science is catching up.
posted by Hank Mabuse 16 years ago
  • Sometimes science is kind of dumb.
  • It's interesting, though, that the article concerns animals which haven't been domesticated (and, are at least thought of as being more primitive than those which have.) Many of us probably think that the personalities of our pets dervive from our treatment of/bonding with them, or the characteristic of the breed. But, when domestication first started, maybe it was those who weren't so adventurius which came to stay? There may be a really good discussion potential here, but I haven't quite found it. Any one can help.
  • Chickens too?
  • If you mrsn "do chicken vary in personality? I think Hank can agree that they can.
  • Sorry, my abused keyboard is telling me it's tired.
  • "Study finds scientists have no personality."
  • It was only a few years ago that I found out there were people who DIDN'T think animals had individual personalities. But as obvious as the conclusion seems, I think it's still valuable to test, as our perceptions of such things can be pretty subjective.
  • Look, Hawthorne, I'm a scientist, and I happen to have a personality. I mean, jeez, you can't just lump me in with the stereotypical white-coated nerds like that! Completely aside here: Why is it that popular culture seems to take for granted that anyone smart is also a complete social outcast, anyway? I was watching some show the other day (it was on the TV above the treadmill at the gym) and apparently the entire premise of the show is that four physics PhDs live in an apartment and spout nerdisms at each other while being unsuccessful with the ladies. Because we all know that having a PhD automatically makes you an uptight, sweater-vest-wearing perpetual virgin. Right. So many of the PhDs I know (including myself) fit that image. Maybe it's the TV show writers who have no personalities. Or the viewing audience, who knows. Anyway both my cats have distinct personalities, and pretty much anyone who studies animals in the field will likely agree that individuals are always recognizable by their behavior. It's been a long time since the early views of animal as automaton.
  • /facetiousnessfilter: I don't have a PhD but I do have a "genius" IQ. (Very, very low-end genius. Practically not a genius at all. Only smarter than 99.4% of the other kids, at best. If I were a real genius, I'd be around 99.7, you know. I will accomplish nothing but weeping.) I am utterly unsuccessful with the ladies. Because I'm a heterosexual female. The show was probably The Big Bang Theory. But incidentally... the last time there was a "giftedness" discussion around here, a few months ago, wasn't it in response to an article that said it became increasingly, exponentially difficult for people w/ IQs over 145 to relate to others, especially when they're young? There are two methods of social success for that kind of person: you can either learn to hide your vague-to-open contempt for practically everyone around you and their terrible, terrible slowness, or you do that in a more genuine way by learning to appreciate that they have other gifts that you may not have. And eventually you'll probably meet other socially-handicapped nerds, too, and one of 'em might touch your naughty bits, thereby obviating the need for "nerd sitcoms".
  • clf, mr medusa is a phd organic chemist and he has, if anything, an excessive of personality. and charm. with the ladies... *wiggles eyebrows*
  • Look, Hawthorne, I'm a scientist, and I happen to have a personality. I mean, jeez, you can't just lump me in with the stereotypical white-coated nerds like that! I was totally keeding to make a point about the blind spots of current science, just in case that wasn't obvious!
  • Hmmm, maybe I should get mr. medusa to come speak at our next science career fair. ;-)
  • TUM: Only if you can have him speak from inside a cage having electrically charged bars to keep him safe from the crazed nerd-women. MonkeyFilter: There may be a really good discussion potential here, but I haven't quite found it. MonkeyFilter: automatically makes you an uptight, sweater-vest-wearing perpetual virgin I don't care if frogs is a stereotypical white-coated nerd, I've always thought he was teh sexy!
  • That makes two of you, BlueHorse - you and my wife. That's enough to make me happy!
  • nerdy science boys are teh sexy. and I can assure you that mr. medusa would prefer to face the dangers of crazed nerd-women like a real man...
  • oh, i bet he would.