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Giant Brain Candy: The Power of an Unpressed Button. People stuck with loud, unpredictable noise coped better afterwards, trying longer on frustrating puzzles, if they had a button that could stop it, even when they never used it. Source: Perceived control over stress.
Strong evidenceThe research
  1. Glass, D. C., & Singer, J. E. (1972). Urban stress: Experiments on noise and social stressors. Academic Press.

Journey 6 · Empowerment

The Power of an Unpressed Button

People stuck with loud, unpredictable noise coped better afterwards, trying longer on frustrating puzzles, if they had a button that could stop it, even when they never used it.

Source: Perceived control over stress · Strong evidence

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