Reactions Faster than Actions, Study Finds The mythology of the
Wild West suggests the person who draws first in a gunfight is
usually the first to get shot, and new findings now hint at a
reason why this might happen. Inspired by Hollywood cowboy
movies, Nobel Laureate atomic physicist Niels Bohr once
conjectured why, during a duel, the gunslinger who drew first
was the one to get shot — the intentional act of drawing and
shooting is slower to carry out than the "quick draw" response
to another gun. Anecdotal reports note that Bohr tested his idea
using toy pistols, with the reactive Bohr apparently winning
every duel against his colleague George Gamow. Now an
international team of scientists has found a basis for this idea
— people move faster when reacting than when initiating the same
movement. But the ultimate outcome is not so simple. Shootout at
the O.K. Lab In laboratory versions of gunfights, the
researchers had volunteers each press a row of three buttons.
When they faced off against other "gunsling