from Hacker News

I taught rats to drive a car, and it may help us lead happier lives

by PotatoNinja on 11/29/24, 12:25 PM with 25 comments

  • by nis0s on 11/29/24, 9:07 PM

    Maybe someone who has read the paper can confirm, but I think correlating optimism with a longer reward period is only meaningful if there is a comparative analysis which looks at what level of optimism presents in rats which wait longer for a reward and do not get it. Moreover, what level of optimism presents in rats which have a mixed reward system, i.e., sometimes getting a reward for waiting longer and sometimes not getting it.

    I find that cognitive scientists often neglect these basic permutations, and present more intuitive results which are easier to accept because of any number of human biases, but may ultimately be an incomplete presentation of reality. I suspect that optimism traits and reward wait period are uncorrelated, and optimism in rats at least depends on some neurochemical factor.

  • by lelag on 11/29/24, 1:14 PM

  • by croisillon on 11/29/24, 1:33 PM

    related (10 days ago, 102 comments): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42179774

  • by MrMcCall on 11/29/24, 4:03 PM

    I wonder if the 'Froot Loops' used in the study contained American-style levels of refined sugar. Maybe the rats just learned that driving the car gets them that sweet, sweet hit of the crack cocaine version of the delicious and nutritious sugar cane.

    Plus, even a single human Froot Loop would be quite large for a rat. Maybe I'm wrong, but that seems like that's a ton of sugar, yet the article makes no mention of the refined sugar content, after even mentioning their having used cocaine before in their studies.

    It looks to me like those researchers have zero clue about the effects of refined sugar on human beings, much less lesser mammals such as rats. Perhaps I'm wrong, but this looks like worthless drivel, but with good funding to invest in "cool" toys for disposable animals.

    As to happiness, most people confuse pleasure with happiness, but that's a different discussion altogether.

  • by verisimi on 11/29/24, 2:00 PM

    > In a study that wouldn't be permitted today, rats swam in glass cylinders filled with water, eventually drowning from exhaustion if they weren't rescued.

    Who permits studies? Why would this study NOT be permitted today?

    edit to add NOT.