May I ask someone who has studied psychology a question?

[NNN0LHI]

What causes this behavior I am about to explain?

I have been told since I was a kid that a battery can be damaged or discharged by letting it sit on concrete. Which I have since learned is a complete myth. Storing on concrete doesn't hurt or discharge them whatsoever.

Yet to this day I would never store a battery on concrete knowing full well it doesn't damage it. My grandson even questioned me when he was helping while I removed the battery for the riding mower from an unheated shed and stored it in the heated garage for winter why I set it on a piece of wood rather than the concrete floor. I explained to him that it didn't make any difference but yet I still put a piece of wood under that battery.

Any idea what causes that behavior?

Thanks in advance if anyone knows.

Don

[Bunny]

1. The DSM-IV lists this as a symptom of psychosis. You are clearly insane.

:D Actually, I don't know what it means. I have the same thoughts about the flu shot, as I posted in Lynnesin's thread. I got really sick after I got a flu shot, and even though my scientific mind knows it probably wasn't due to the shot, I refuse to get another one.

[LiberalEsto]

2. You have developed concretophobia

also known as an irrational fear of concrete.

[sibelian]

3. Hmmmm.

There needs to be a word for it.

I won't put shoes on tables because it's "bad luck" even though I don't give concepts ike "bad luck" the least credence.

Perhaps there is something nice about letting your mind go a bit dotty for a while...

[LiberalEsto]

5. I, personally,

don't put shoes on the table BECAUSE THAT'S DISGUSTING

Heaven only knows where those shoes have been.

I don't put your shoes on the table either.

[sibelian]

6. ...

WHY did you say THAT?

[LiberalEsto]

13. Thought it was funny

but if I offended you, I apologize. It wasn't intended.

[Pithlet]

12. I do/say the "knock on wood" thing

And I no more believe in superstition. It's weird.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

15. I have a friend from High School who would always say...

'Knock on a wooden Penis'


That was his thing. It was though he just could never say knock on wood without the penis part. He also liked to draw small penises on anything and everything. The funniest place was on the inside of the microfiche machine in the library. It was small and in the corner, but you wouldn't see it until you actually turned it on, illuminating the little doodle.

[KamaAina]

4. Simple desensitization training

First, put the battery on the concrete surface.

Then, take your shirt off.

Finally, attach one alligator clip to each nipple.

Your phobia will disappear in an instant. :evilgrin:

[NNN0LHI]

7. phobia? That sounds like the beginnings of a good party

}(

[surrealAmerican]

8. We are creatures of habit ...

... and make most of our "decisions" without thinking. While that sounds like a bad thing, it isn't usually. It's only when we keep doing things that we know are irrational that we notice this at all.

[freshwest]

9. I wouldn't put much of anything on concrete, either. Don't ask us. Everyone here is nuts.BTW,

The idea is that a battery or any other electrical source seeks a ground, and concrete without an insulating barrier beneath it, is a fair ground.

Putting it on wood is a way to insulate what some might regards as possibility of electrons flowing to ground, draining the potential energy stored in said battery.

You're just being extra-cautious, perhaps the original notion was of a cracked casing that led to leakage. Tell anyone who doesn't like the way you store your batteries to shag off...

I only took a bit of psychology in college. The most disturbing day in class was the first one. The professor handed us long list of the characteristics of career criminals. He then pointed out there were only three on the list that did not also apply to those attracted to law enforcement careers. Hey, I didn't say that, he did...

:hide:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. The Law of Primacy - one of the "laws of learning."

The first thing you learn about a subject is the thing most likely to stick. Years ago you learned that a battery will discharge if you let it sit on concrete; much later you learned that wasn't true - but the original thing you learned about batteries stuck with you, and you can't quite get it out of your head, so it still makes you feel weird to leave a battery on concrete.

[freshwest]

20. Best answer

[MichiganVote]

11. What else are you superstitious about?

[nolabear]

14. Depends. Who told you and how important was it to you that you had a bond with them?

If it was important, the behavior reinforced and continues to reinforce the bond. But things learned early have considerable staying power. That's one reason it's so important to let kids practice being adults through play. And it's one reason fears established when a child is five to seven (give or take) can be so odd and so persistant. Reality testing is becoming established around then and right, wrong, correct, incorrect take on great weight.

Could be other things too, of course. I could never say something with assurance when I haven't meven met you. But those are some possibles and only you know what rings true. And yeah, I do this for a living.

[snagglepuss]

16. I think there is some wisdom in making a habit of keeping things off the

the ground or concrete, namely that elevating anything will protect it from spills from something stored nearby or from water leaking in from outside. Elevating items can also prevent mold from forming underneath stored items, mold may not develop under a battery but making a habit of keeping stuff off a floor is a good habit to develop.

[NNN0LHI]

18. This might be a habit I picked up on my job?

We were never allowed to store anything directly on the floor. That was part of our training. Everything had to be stored on a wooden pallet. Not just batteries. Everything. Might have even been OSHA or company regulations? But that is the way it was.

Thanks for bringing up an excellent point. I think you may be onto something.

Don

[backtoblue]

17. Repetition

Subconsciously, you just can't help yourself from doing what you've always done... B-)


Now, lay down on the couch. :hi:

[HopeHoops]

19. If it corrodes over, you'll be happy it is leaking onto a piece of plywood and not the concrete.