Attitude Check

According to research too numerous, varied, and over my pay grade to mention, we all have two types of attitudes: the ones we are consciously aware of, and the ones in our subconscious that drive our feelings and choices without our actively realizing it.

An "international collaborative network of researchers" have come together to form Project Implicit, which is a standardized series of quick Internet tests designed to determine how you *really* feel about things, whether you're aware of it or not. That word, implicit, means "implied though not plainly expressed."

You can choose to be part of the study - click the "Participate" button at the link above - or you can choose to just take some demonstration tests here. It's backed by the folks at Harvard, Yale, and other prestigious institutions, it's on a secure server, and no personal information is collected, aside from your IP address.

There are all manner of subjects to choose from: what your conscious and subconscious attitudes are about race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, self-esteem, alcohol, and more.

The group says if you get a result that's widely different than what you expected, take the test again. There is a gentle learning curve, from what I can tell you of my own experience. And, the group is quick to point out, don't take the results too seriously ... unless you want to.

What you do with the results is, in the end, entirely up to you.

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A Congressman was once asked about his attitude and thoughts toward whiskey.

"If you mean," he replied, "the demon drink that poisons the mind, pollutes the body, destroys family life, and inflames the unrighteous, then I'm dead set against it.

"If, however," he continued, "you mean the elixir of Christmas cheer, the shield against winter's chill, the taxable potion that puts needed funds into public coffers to comfort crippled children, then I'm all for it!

"This is my position, and I will not compromise."

--jokebuddha.com

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"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."  (Zig Ziglar)

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Mark's Musings is published on a periodical basis - right now on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays - but that may change without notice. Find me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/baldmark. This blog is considered to be a digital periodical publication and is filed as such with the U.S. Library of Congress; ISSN 2154-9761