One could reverse that. It is harder to be positive with a weak immune system. (smile)

It's a tribute to my respect for you that I made it through the first 90 seconds of this video. What kind of an asshole announces himself an expert on deception, then favorably references the forthrightness of Chomsky and Sy Hersh? Hilarity.

The word “Hersh” conjures in me an image of sudden, convulsive vomiting. I like the comic irony, as Sy’s writing is sort of a “Hershing” up of his agendas, speculations, and deceptions.

It's a tribute to Ekman's knowledge that I stayed for the video. Fun info.

The conscious vs the unconscious

I appreciate the discussion of what the conscious knows vs what the unconscious knows. This is why, for instance, I've confidence in the American voter to get Presidential elections right most of the time. I suspect voters, overwhelmingly, are casting votes based upon unconscious instinct. And I've respect for the shrewdness of that unconscious instinct. It's not infallible, but it is pretty good.

This is why, as a salesperson, I look for something to genuinely like about a potential buyer. I believe many or most potential buyers will sense if I dislike them; will sense if I am faking respectful human affection for them. If I'm having a bad day, or a bad moment, and find it difficult to notice something likable about the customer, I sometimes ask myself: "If I were drowning, would this person throw me a life preserver? Yes? Then I can at least like and appreciate that about this person!" I have met a couple of women whom I judged might not risk a broken fingernail to throw me a life preserver. I had little hope of making a sale in those circumstances! I may as well have gone out for a sandwich and come back later.

Sporadic impressions from the lecture:

Homophobic men in Georgia

I don't like the use of "homophobic" as it is used by Ekman and by the author of the study in question. I suspect this is an instance in which academics assume that academia is the real world; assume that lack of support for gay politics equates to dislike of or hatred for gay persons.

I suspect that most of the men in the study did not actively dislike gay men. Rather, most of those men were merely uncomfortable with homosexuality. There's a difference between actively disliking a person and being uncomfortable with a person's behavior. I have been around overt sexual gay behavior, and am comfortable with it. But this is not something for which I deserve a medal or a cookie. Before I had experience around overt sexual gay behavior, I was uncomfortable around overt sexual gay behavior. But I was not a bad and intolerant person then, and am not consequently a good and tolerant person now. I was tolerant then, and I was uncomfortable then, and that is perfectly understandable.

Difference in empathy: male vs female

I quibble, slightly, with the conclusion drawn from the circumstance of women empathizing more with a person who had played unfairly and who had consequently suffered pain. Neither the situation nor the conclusion ought be quite so simple. Men, in general, have less concern with certain types of pain.

Men think more like this: a man has been physically struck, and is bruised or bleeding: so what? It hurts now, and the pain will soon enough subside. Get over it. Immediately.

It may not be the case that men are quite so radical about failing to empathize. It may be that, in the situation used in the study, men did not see a significant circumstance which called for empathy. If I get punched, and I get too much empathy from other men, what does that mean? Do those other men think I am too weak to take a punch? Bastards. I can take it as good as anyone!

What if the subject had played unfairly, and, as a result, the subject's beloved dog had died? I say the men in the study would have showed more empathy for the subject.

Stockbrokers, Risk Taking, belief in having control over the situation

The conclusion is that stock brokers played the game b/c of a misguided belief about the level of control which they had over the game. This is an interesting conclusion. Yet, again, an over-simplistic conclusion. I've known stockbrokers. They play the game b/c they crave the action. If the stock market didn't exist, they would be gamblers in Las Vegas. Or bookies. They are not control freaks: they are action freaks.

"I've read about how people who have a more positive outlook seem to have stronger immune systems."

That might explain my ear infection currently running amok (ouch ouch). Fortunately there are antibiotics for grouches like me.

The first two and a half minutes of that video were so smarmy and off-putting that I could go no further (even having read and enjoyed Ekman's book)... If there was anything good in the rest of it, do speak up....

I've long said "Nobody can lie to you nearly as well or as convincingly as you lie to yourself."