From NPR, this is hidden brain.
I'm Shankar Vedantam.
Let's say you're invited out to eat at a gourmet restaurant.
Your host has promised to cover the bill.
What do you decide to order?
This scenario unfolds in an episode of the tv show the Office.
One of the characters, Jim, needs a favor from his colleagues, Phyllis and Stanley, so he takes them out to lunch on his dime.
Morning, folks.
I'll have the surf and turf with.
A side order of lobster.
Actually, the surf and turf does come with lobster.
Not enough lobster.
Side order.
Call it the surf and turf conundrum.
If you're paying for your own meal, you might choose the soup and salad.
But if someone else is paying, how.
Much wine do you have?
It's tempting to ask for a lot more problem with choosing the surf and turf and the side of lobster.
If everyone at the table does this, your host can end up broke and resentful.
It might be the last time you get asked out to eat.