TextAs in most bad luck stories, you forget about the15number of times the road doesn't land awkwardlyand remember the times it does, and in this case thechance of a bad result is so high that before long youare bound to be cursing your misfortune, or the map'sprinter, or both. This, incidentally, is why many modernroad maps allow significant overlaps between adiacentmap pages. ln a good road atlas, at least 30 per cent ofthe page is duplicated elsewhere.Translation
15 As in most bad luck stories, you forget about the number of times the road doesn’t land awkwardly and remember the times it does, and in this case the chance of a bad result is so high that before long you are bound to be cursing your misfortune, or the map’s printer, or both. This, incidentally, is why many modern road maps allow significant overlaps between adjacent map pages. In a good road atlas, at least 30 per cent of the page is duplicated elsewhere. Text
TextThelightsarealwaysredwhenI'minahurryOne of the best examples of selective memory16where an unfair comparison is made between good andbad is in the relative freguency of red and green lightson a iourney. For once, the perception of "I always seemto get red lights when I'm in a hurry" is true andverifiableMore...Translation
The lights are always red when I'm in a hurry 16 One of the best examples of selective memory where an unfair comparison is made between good and bad is in the relative frequency of red and green lights on a journey. For once, the perception of “I always seem to get red lights when I’m in a hurry” is true and verifiable. Text
TextTo simplify the situation, think of atraffic light as being like tossing a coin, with a 50 percent chance of being red, and 50 per cent of beinggreen. (ln fact most traffic lights spend more time onred). If you encounter six traffic lights on a journey, thenyou are no more likely to escape a red light than you areto toss six consecutive heads, the chance of which is 1in 64.Translation
To simplify the situation, think of a traffic light as being like tossing a coin, with a 50 per cent chance of being red, and 50 per cent of being green. (In fact most traffic lights spend more time on red). If you encounter six traffic lights on a journey, then you are no more likely to escape a red light than you are to toss six consecutive heads, the chance of which is 1 in 64. Text
TextCRed lights come up just as often when the driver17is not in a hurry; it's just that the disadvantage of thered light is considerably less if time is not critical. Thefalse part of the perception is that red lights happenmorethan green lightsMore....Translation
17 Red lights come up just as often when the driver is not in a hurry; it’s just that the disadvantage of the red light is considerably less if time is not critical. The false part of the perception is that red lights happen more than green lights. Text
Text1The reason for this is simplythat a driver has more time to think about a red lightthan a green light, because while the latter is gone inseconds - and indeed is an experience no differentfrom just driving along the open road - the red lightforces a change of behaviour, a moment of exertion andstress, and then a deprivation of freedom for a minuteor so. Red lights stick in the mind, while green lights areinstantly forgotten.Translation
The reason for this is simply that a driver has more time to think about a red light than a green light, because while the latter is gone in seconds – and indeed is an experience no different from just driving along the open road – the red light forces a change of behaviour, a moment of exertion and stress, and then a deprivation of freedom for a minute or so. Red lights stick in the mind, while green lights are instantly forgotten. Text