本文介绍了一项旨在探索冰水灌入左耳是否能改善理性认知的实验。该实验基于先前的研究，该研究表明这种方法可能有助于治疗失认症患者。实验方法包括使用冰水刺激左耳，然后进行一项信念校准游戏，对比实验前后得分。实验者招募志愿者参与，并强调了实验的安全性，但同时也提醒参与者注意可能的不适感。实验的目的是初步验证该方法是否有效，如果有效，则进行更精确的实验。该研究旨在探索一种简单可行的提升理性认知的方法。

🧊 该实验基于先前的研究，这些研究表明，向左耳倒入冰水可能有助于解决失认症患者的极端合理化问题，并可能提高人们的整体认知水平。

🧪 实验方法包括：准备冰水，通过硬币决定先进行冰水刺激还是控制测试，使用信念校准游戏在10分钟内回答问题并记录分数，然后重复步骤，进行另一组测试。冰水刺激方式为使用移液管或注射器将冰水倒入左耳，直到感到眩晕或恶心。

⚠️ 实验强调了安全性，认为该方法是一种已建立的医疗程序，但同时提醒参与者注意可能的不适感，并建议避免多次重复操作。实验者个人愿意承担潜在的左耳听力问题风险，认为理性干预可能对未来产生重大影响。

📊 实验旨在收集足够的数据，以确定冰水刺激是否可能产生积极影响。如果数据强烈暗示有效，则值得进行更精确的实验。如果无效，则无需进行进一步的精细化实验。

Published on January 24, 2025 11:13 PM GMT

Why?

A little while ago, I read these posts about how pouring really cold water in people's left ear solves an extreme form of rationalizing in patients with Anosognosia and might(?) make people better calibrated in general. Last month, I asked whether anyone had checked that, because it seemed like something that would be rather important if true. I got no response, which tells me that even if someone has, it's not common knowledge.

I decided to write up this rough experimental method (copy-pasted below) and made this google form to record my results. Originally I was going to be the only participant, but figured I might as well put it out there in case others wanted to help. I'd really appreciate any additional data points people want to add.

After enough data to determine whether it's likely that there's actually a positive effect, I'll publish it in a followup post.

What About Selection Effects/Placebo?

Yep, there could be those, this isn't designed to fully narrow down any effects. If the data ends up strongly implying an effect, then more precise experiments are worth doing. If it doesn't, then any effort to deal with those are wasted motion that just slows us down and likely decreases sample size.

Is This Safe?

I think so? It's an established medical procedure, and some people were obviously able to get ethical approval for it, otherwise it wouldn't be in those papers. It does feel very uncomfortable for a little while after, and doing it multiple times could have more of an impact than the once in the papers. If you're concerned about that, avoid doing it multiple times.

Personally, I'm willing to take the risk of potential hearing problems in my left ear for a little while because I expect that to be fixable, and rationality interventions now could potentially add up to a serious impact on our future trajectory. 

Draft Experimental Method

Materials

Ice cubesGlassWaterPipette/syringe (without needle), or some other method of precisely delivering waterTimerCoin (or online randomizer)Computer with the credence game: https://acritch.com/credence-game/

Method

Note time, date, potential confounding factors (importantly, ones that could have an impact on the difference between now and 20 mins or so from now)Get a glass of water, put ice in it, wait until the water is ice-cold (10 min or so, the water should be cold enough that the ice hasn’t melted, but the water isn’t getting noticeably colder)Flip a coin: heads means cold water first, tails means control first.Using this credence calibration game, answer as many questions as you can in 10 minutes. Note the total score, total questions, and average score.Wait 10 minutesstep 4, but whichever one (cold water or control) you didn't do the first time.

Control

Using this credence calibration game, answer as many questions as you can in 10 minutes. Note the total score, total questions, and average score, then delete the save file.

Cold Water

Grab the ice water and a pipette or syringe (without needle)Go to a location where nausea/vertigo would be an acceptable outcomeLie down with your left side facing upwardsUse the instrument to pour the ice water in your left ear, continue until you feel vertigo/nausea. My personal experience was feeling like the room was spinning a little.Using this credence calibration game, answer as many questions as you can in 10 minutes. At the end, note the total score, total questions, and average score, then delete the save file.

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