Sketchplanations makes complex ideas simple with clear, insightful sketches. Explore topics from science, creativity, psychology, and beyond explained in pictures.
You often need to take a house key with you when you go running, yet if you pop the keys in your pockets, they often jingle as you run. I've often thought it would be nice if they were quiet. How do you stop your keys from jingling when you run? A handy tip is to wrap your keys in cling film or Saran Wrap. This instantly stops the clinking, allowing you to run jingle-free. I learned this from James McManus. Also see: Fartlek, Run further by running far away, London running kit…You often need to take a house key with you when you go running, yet if you pop the keys in your pockets, they often jingle as you run. I've often thought it would be nice if they were quiet. How do you stop your keys from jingling when you run? A handy tip is to wrap your keys in cling film or Saran Wrap. This instantly stops the clinking, allowing you to run jingle-free. I learned this from James McManus. Also see: Fartlek, Run further by running far away, London running kitWWW…
Nominative determinism is the idea that people might inadvertently be drawn to careers related to their names. It suggests that if you are called Baker, you might unknowingly gravitate towards a career in baked goods. Sort of the opposite of someone with the surname of Baker because the family was once bakers. Also known as an aptronym. A few more: Les McBurney — Volunteer firefighter Dr. Lauren Hyman — Gynecologist Dr. Chip Silvertooth — Dentist Paul Schwinghammer — Contractor Apparently coined in the New Scientist by reader C. R. Cavonius after people kept submitting examples, including those in the sketch. More examples here. Nominative determinism is distinct from an eponym.…Nominative determinism is the idea that people might inadvertently be drawn to careers related to their names. It suggests that if you are called Baker, you might unknowingly gravitate towards a career in baked goods. Sort of the opposite of someone with the surname of Baker because the family was once bakers. Also known as an aptronym. A few more: Les McBurney — Volunteer firefighter Dr. Lauren Hyman — Gynecologist Dr. Chip Silvertooth — Dentist Paul Schwinghammer — Contractor Apparently coined in the New Scientist by reader C. R. Cavonius after people kept submitting examples, including those in the sketch. More examples here. Nominative determinism is distinct from an eponym.WWW…
It turns out that, when considering how enjoyable, or indeed how painful something was, we don’t mentally do an average enjoyment check to decide if it was good or bad. Instead, our minds are swayed by the peak and end levels. So, an experience that may have been dull for most of it, if it had a cracking bit in the middle and ended on a high, will generally be remembered as more enjoyable than something that was decent all the way through but never reached those highs. Here’s a classic study of the pain side of the phenomenon from Dan Kahneman: "Kahneman and his associates showed, in 1993, that participants exposed to 30 seconds of 14-degree ice water (very cold!) rated the experience as more painful than participants exposed to 90 seconds of exposure to 60 seconds of 14-degree ice water plus 30 additional seconds of 15-degree ice water. In other words, participants found the 90 seconds of ice water exposure less painful than those exposed to 60 seconds of nearly equally cold water because the 90 seconds ended with exposure to a “warmer” stimulus. We will rate an experience as less painful then if it ends on a slightly less painful way. The “peak-end” in this case was a one-degree difference in water temperature." From Susan Krauss-Whitbourne PhD, Happiness: it’s all about the ending, Psychology Today.…It turns out that, when considering how enjoyable, or indeed how painful something was, we don’t mentally do an average enjoyment check to decide if it was good or bad. Instead, our minds are swayed by the peak and end levels. So, an experience that may have been dull for most of it, if it had a cracking bit in the middle and ended on a high, will generally be remembered as more enjoyable than something that was decent all the way through but never reached those highs. Here’s a classic study of the pain side of the phenomenon from Dan Kahneman: "Kahneman and his associates showed, in 1993, that participants exposed to 30 seconds of 14-degree ice water (very cold!) rated the experience as more painful than participants exposed to 90 seconds of exposure to 60 seconds of 14-degree ice water plus 30 additional seconds of 15-degree ice water. In other words, participants found the 90 seconds of ice water exposure less painful than those exposed to 60 seconds of nearly equally cold water because the 90 seconds ended with exposure to a “warmer” stimulus. We will rate an experience as less painful then if it ends on a slightly less painful way. The “peak-end” in this case was a one-degree difference in water temperature." From Susan Krauss-Whitbourne PhD, Happiness: it’s all about the ending, Psychology Today.WWW…
These days beards are in. There will come a day when beards are out. And a day when beards are back in again. That’s how it seems to go. Turns out there is a name for this kind of thing: negative frequency-dependent selection. Essentially, the less common it is, the more useful a trait it is. As opposed to positive frequency-dependent selection which, as you can imagine, is the reverse. According to this study, for example, when there are fewer men with beards in a population, they are judged as more attractive than when there are more of them. Hence they become gradually more popular until the effect starts to wear off and the clean-shaven look starts to appeal again. And round the cycle we go.…These days beards are in. There will come a day when beards are out. And a day when beards are back in again. That’s how it seems to go. Turns out there is a name for this kind of thing: negative frequency-dependent selection. Essentially, the less common it is, the more useful a trait it is. As opposed to positive frequency-dependent selection which, as you can imagine, is the reverse. According to this study, for example, when there are fewer men with beards in a population, they are judged as more attractive than when there are more of them. Hence they become gradually more popular until the effect starts to wear off and the clean-shaven look starts to appeal again. And round the cycle we go.WWW…
Strahler stream order is a smart way of categorizing the size of rivers by tracking where tributaries join. Each time two tributaries of the same order join together, the river rises in order. So, the start of a stream from a spring is the outermost branch—it's first order. When two first-order tributaries join together, the river is classified as second-order, and so on. The largest river by Strahler stream order classification is the Amazon, which is an incredible 12th-order river. This means that at least two 11th-order rivers had to merge together before the river emptied into the sea. Huge.…Strahler stream order is a smart way of categorizing the size of rivers by tracking where tributaries join. Each time two tributaries of the same order join together, the river rises in order. So, the start of a stream from a spring is the outermost branch—it's first order. When two first-order tributaries join together, the river is classified as second-order, and so on. The largest river by Strahler stream order classification is the Amazon, which is an incredible 12th-order river. This means that at least two 11th-order rivers had to merge together before the river emptied into the sea. Huge.WWW…
The 60-30-10 color rule is a handy and memorable technique for a great start in simple branding. Think of a suit where about 60% of the colour you see is the suit, 30% the shirt and 10% accent or highlight with the tie. Classic. Also see: The basic colour wheel other drawing sketchplanations…The 60-30-10 color rule is a handy and memorable technique for a great start in simple branding. Think of a suit where about 60% of the colour you see is the suit, 30% the shirt and 10% accent or highlight with the tie. Classic. Also see: The basic colour wheel other drawing sketchplanationsWWW…
