We all think that we see things as they really are. But according to a new report in Psychological Science, if we really want something, that strong wish may influence how we view our surroundings . Psychological scientists Emily Balcetis from New York University and David Dunning from Cornell University did a set of studies to see how our strong wish affects perception. In the first experiment, people who voluntarily took part in the study had to estimate how far a water bottle was from where it was sitting. Half of the volunteers were allowed to drink water before the experiment, while the others ate salty cookies, thus becoming very thirsty. The results showed that the thirsty volunteers estimated that the water was closer to them than volunteers who drank water earlier. Our strong wish for certain objects may also lead to behavioral changes. In a separate experiment, the volunteers threw beanbags towards the gift cards (worth either $25 or $0) on the floor, winning the card if the beanbag landed on it. Interestingly, the volunteers threw the beanbag much farther if the gift card was worth $0 than if it was worth $25 -- that is, they underthrew the beanbag when attempting to win the $25 gift cards, because they viewed that the gift cards as being closer to them. These findings show that when we want something, we actually view it as being physically close to us. When we see a goal as being close to us, it encourages us to keep on going to successfully gain it. The experiment with beanbags is done to prove the relationship between   _  .
psychology and the environment wishes and behavior space and distance views and results