In one study almost one third of pedestrians were found to be distracted as they crossed busy streets—by listening to music, talking on the phone, and so on. The most dangerous distraction was texting. Texters took 18 percent longer to cross than the undistracted and were 3.9 times more likely either to disobey the light, cross at an inappropriate location, or cross without looking both ways.

Women taken from Nigeria to Europe by human traffickers are made to take ritual oaths of secrecy at juju witchcraft shrines. To dominate the women and ensure their obedience as sex slaves, traffickers exploit deep-seated fear of punishment from the spirit world.

Between 5 and 10 percent of the long-term unemployed remove university degrees and professional experience from their résumés because these make job applicants seem overqualified.

Smoke produced by rudimentary fire stoves is considered to be a major cause of death in developing countries, where four million people per year die from smoke-related respiratory illnesses. Researchers say that the noxious chemicals released by wood or coal-burning stoves are as lethal as the poisons found in cigarette smoke.