Before the study, approximately half of the participants were instructed to email friends, family, or co-workers, and ask them to send in examples of different times they’d seen the participant at their best. When the participants arrived to begin the experiment, researchers gave them the letters their loved ones had written. Meanwhile, the other half were given no special encouragement…
Researchers found that those who received the letters performed significantly better on the tests than those who didn’t. For example, both groups were asked to solve “the Duncker candle problem,” in which a candle must be mounted on a wall so that wax does not drip on the floor. Participants were given only the candle, a box of tacks, and a box of matches to complete the task. While 51 percent of the first group were able to solve the problem (by using the box of tacks as a platform for the candle), only 19 percent of the second group were successful.
via Mental Floss
