People who were asked to guess the weight of a box of potatoes gave an estimate that was 10 % less if they were told they’d get help lifting it, according to a team led by Adam Doerrfeld of Rutgers University. When participants were told they had to lift the box solo, they correctly guessed it weighed 10.5 lbs on average. When they were informed that another person would help them, they guessed 9.4 lbs. Our perceptions are shaped not only by what we can do by ourselves but by what we believe we can do with others help, the researchers say. Source Stats & Curiosities from Harvard Business Review