We reveal the geeky science behind great life hacks such as the secret to nabbing the best cinema seats
New book The Geek Guide To Life: Science’s Solutions To Life’s Little Problems is full of life hacks backed up by science... here are a few of the best
CAN science help you be a master of Monopoly?
Or let you pick out that perfect cinema seat?
Colin Stuart, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and science writer Mun Keat Looi – a confessed “professional nerd” – certainly think so.
Their new book The Geek Guide To Life: Science’s Solutions To Life’s Little Problems is full of tips and life hacks that are backed up by cold, hard science.
For instance, did you know that doing a Sudoku puzzle can help you get rid of an “ear worm” tune playing over and over in your head?
Or that chewing gum for three minutes can have the same effect.
Here, NATASHA HARDING picks out some more of the best.
The Geek Guide To Life (Andre Deutsch, £16.99) is out now.
Perfect cinema seat
THE Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers recommends that the angle between you and the top of the screen should not be more than 35 degrees when catching a film at the cinema.
The angle between you and the sides of the screen should be at least 36 degrees.
So sitting two-thirds of the way back in the centre is perfect . . . which may be why those seats tend to sell out first.
WIN AT MONOPOLY
RESEARCH suggests that buying up the orange properties as soon as you can is a smart move.
But Trafalgar Square, a red square, is the property visited most frequently in an average game. So nab that to rake in serious dosh. Focus on getting a set of three houses quickly and watch your income grow.
Don’t waste your money on Old Kent Road or Park Lane, the least visited squares.
Invest in the utility companies if you can.
Tastier food
PROFESSOR CHARLES SPENCE, a psychologist at Oxford University, has worked with chefs such as Heston Blumenthal.
In one study, Spence showed pairing your take-away with the right background music drastically improved the dining experience.
Indie music boosted the taste of Indian food, aptly, while Thai and sushi were aided by jazz.
Food also tastes better using round, white plates and heavy cutlery.
WHEN TO BOOK TICKETS
WANT to save money on flights abroad?
Three separate studies have shown that seven weeks in advance is the best time to buy.
Perhaps surprisingly, Saturday is the cheapest day for departing flights.
Returning on a Tuesday is the most economical for short-haul flights. For long-haul flights, leave on a Thursday and return on a Monday.
Never fly on a Friday.
Red's a winner
IN 2005, researchers at the University of Durham analysed the results of male combat sports in the 2004 Olympics and found that contestants in red outfits won more often.
Wearing red may boost testosterone levels, letting competitors do better.
A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2007 suggested opponents can be intimidated by red, boosting the wearer – like Team GB’s Nicola Adams.