Picture: Cartoon of Washington saying "I cannot tell a lie". Young George Washington's truthfulness was worth more than 1,000 trees... but how much of what we perceive to be true is measured by its accuracy?
In the talk with Susan Murphy, I was very interested to hear her talking about the goal of "Closing the loop to doing something about a prediction" with regards to stress reduction. In particular, I understood her to be saying that that a prediction "might not be the best"; but that doesn't mean it can't result in positive, (stress-reducing!), outcomes for the person receiving them. I really like the idea of 'truthiness' that she brings up, and how in terms of how we actually think; that in some cases it might seem more important to us than the actual quality of the prediction!
If I were sitting across from Prof Murphy, I'd ask her to speak more on that idea of 'truthiness'. What are the markers of a prediction that might encourage action? Or does this psychological element of truth come through the surrounding materials or culture? I find it an interesting concept especially because I understand it intuitively, but putting a finer point on what that substance actually is, is more of a struggle.