https://phys.org/news/2017-03-quantum-theory-funny.html This is related to Quantum Cognition and my own work. Psychologists have long noted that human behavior does not appear to obey classical rules of causality and, while none of them understood the physics of quantum mechanics, they applied a simplified version of the mathematics to studies which had defied causal explanation and found the answers they were looking for. For example, one study known as the "Sure Thing" showed that when people are given fifty-fifty odds of winning $200.oo or losing $100.oo they, of course, understand such simple odds and will continue playing even if they lose a round or two. However, they found that the minute they are not told whether they have won or lost a particular round most will stop playing. This violates causal thinking which suggests the odds are still the same, however, quantum mechanics implies that, without information on the last round, you cannot predict the odds of winning the next. Physicists typically talk about quanta as being utterly random and even formless, nevertheless, they always obey particle-wave duality displaying both geometry and predictable behavior. Likewise, they often talk about the ubber tiny world of quanta as being fundamentally different from that of our macroscopic causal world, but have never been able to demonstrate where the dividing line exists and why the two are so different or how they transform into one another. Quite the opposite, the harder they have studied the problem the less sense it appears to make with, for example, tests of Bell's Inequality Theorem indicating that even faster than light communication cannot explain the spooky action-at-a-distance of quanta. The obvious explanation is that quantum mechanics requires a complete overhaul outside of the proverbial box and Steven Weinberg recently commented that, despite physicists commonly saying they see no problem with the way quantum mechanics are currently formulated, they can't agree on how to interpret the current formulation implying that, other than the mathematics, they are all talking about different things. Now, it appears the psychologists are ready to dive into the really serious work of studying comedy because, of course, no self-respecting physicist would ever dabble in such things or suggest their own mind is fundamentally quantum mechanical and, therefore, irrational by their own standards but, apparently, that's less of a problem for psychologists. If they keep this up, it may be the psychologists who make the next big breakthrough in physics by proving that the lack of a sense of humor among physicists is holding them back from making fundamental progress in the field. Of course, my own view is that humor doesn't make any sense and what we are measuring using quantum mechanics in our own brains it how little sense something makes in the current context and how it might change to make more sense.
