Drew’s Inner Dialogue

Justin Alston, a buddy from my years at Duke, has appeared in a TV commercial. Jason and Sarah mentioned they had heard of such a thing while we had our way with Las Vegas. Upon returning home, I was watching The Simpsons… and there he was! I’d seen a few of the VW “Fast” commercials (they’re pretty good!), but not this particular one. He’s ordering Chinese delivery for dinner on a rainy night, and decides to pick it up himself anyway (he let his “fast” do the thinking).

A couple of things - I haven’t seen him for quite awhile, and while I’m thinking about it I need to see if I can reach him. The commercial doesn’t seem to be based in LA (it’s raining, thundering, and lightning, for goodness sakes - that simply doesn’t happen here), but that’s where he’s living and working.

As I read in the LA Times, researchers have proven that in people involved in a financial transaction, inhalation of oxytocin significantly increases their willingness to trust a complete stranger with no proven track record.

Oxytocin is a hormone which is normally produced in people, and is known to help induce contractions during labor and milk production in the breast. This is a further example of the role this hormone likely plays in other aspects of our biology.

The researchers are careful to point out that while this knowledge could be used for nefarious purposes, the required dosages to achieve any significant effect would require a very visible mist in the air. The hormone has to be inhaled - otherwise it degrades too quickly to have any effect (no pills).

LA Times: Researchers Find Trust to Be a Hormonal Affair

Hmm. The photos for her graduation were the whole reason I finally put my website back up. I shared them with family and friends, but didn’t mention it here.

So, belatedly, I’d like to announce the graduation of my littlest sister, Audrey, from Claremont McKenna College in May of 2005. She majored in Psychology, is working for Americorp for a year at Turning the Page, and plans to apply for graduate school to study psychology further. Eventually, she wants to work with schools and kids.