I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier. We have all been warned to beware of

unintended consequences. It's so easy to do something or not do something without thinking through the consequences of our actions.

But if we're not careful, we may bring about a result we do not want. In fact, if we're not careful, sometimes our

effort to prevent an outcome will actually promote it. Here are a few memorable examples. Pick pockets sometimes lurk around

beware of pick pockets signs because when passers-by see those signs they pat their pockets or

check their purses to make sure that their possessions are still safe. In this way they show

pickpockets exactly where to find any valuables.

Also, it turns out that the classic cornfield scarecrow attracts birds because the birds learn that a scarecrow is a sign of

ample food.

Also after an archaeologist announced that he'd pay handsomely for each ancient well-preserved

artifact, enterprising people broke artifacts into smaller pieces to make more money. These stories are good reminders that we shouldn't

assume that we can always predict the consequences of our action and we should

pay attention to what actually does happen. I'm Gretchen Rubin and I hope

this makes your week a little happier.