I enjoy Richard Wiseman's "59 Seconds", the British psychology professor's book of succinct statements of research results with practical applications. Well, sort of succinct and sort of practical. I read recently his summary of research to protect a lost wallet.
If you lose your wallet, how can you improve the chances that it will be returned to you? One of the most powerful effects the researchers discovered is a cute baby picture right where anyone opening the wallet will see it. It turns out that we possibly have a part of our brains that automatically registers a baby and gives us a little squirt of delight and sympathy for the child instantaneously and immediately. Adorable elderly couples, cute puppies, happily smiling families were way less powerful images for striking up sympathy and caring and getting the wallets returned.
The baby effect with lost wallets reminded me of Mary Gordon's Roots of Emphathy Project. I read about her efforts to help children develop good sensitivities to others by having groups of them sit with a baby and the mother. They listen to her tell what caring for the baby is like while seeing how the baby behaves in their presence. The main picture on the web site shows how captivating the baby is. The faces of older children clearly show their powerful emotions while that baby gazes at them in wonder.
