Life with a Scientist: An insight into a Scientist's world.

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Scientists are strange. I can say that confidently, because I am lucky enough to be living with a scientist for a few years now. I have many times stared at him and wondered what exactly goes in his head and wondered does he ever perceive things like a normal person. One thing I have understood, if not more, that scientists are analytical people, very detail oriented and absolutely straight forward.

My husband has been a scientist for 5 years now (Yes! May 2010 was the year he earned his Doctorate). And just to honor him for these super 5 scientific years, let me take you into a scientist's world....

1. They see the world through scientific lenses. 

Just as I see the world through a creative lens,  scientists see through scientific lenses, always wondering how things work and sometimes (if not most of the times) looking for ways to improve whatever they are looking at. The language they use to describe things, learning some of their language will be helpful in translating their 'science' words to simple english.

      2. They are always thinking.

Usually the job doesn't end when the work day is over. Obviously! inspiration, solution or a brilliant idea can all come at any time of the day and in any situation. It's like having a notebook in the head where they always take notes or work out solutions to a problem. If they are caught biting their nails, looking constantly at something, consider they are writing something on that notebook.

Another side effect of always thinking is, you are not sure if they are listening to you or processing a data. Or when they talk to you, sometimes you are not sure if they are actually talking to you or thinking aloud.

Wait, it doesn't end here. When you go out somewhere, and if your scientist partner is driving, your responsibility as a co- pilot becomes double. They know where they are going, but they don't know where they are going. They can see a red light, but they can't see a red light as if their mind processor is taking time to judge the real color of the light.

     3. They are tough.

Most of them know that their paper will probably not be published at the first go. But they don't give up. They learn the lesson and move on to the next plan or modify the original plan.

     4. They give complicated answers to simple questions.

Scientists deal in complexity. And so, simplicity tends to be elusive. It's like asking him ''what time it is and he'll tell you how to build a watch''. You would often find yourself getting frustrated at this, because they would never give a simple answer. But always remember! to them there is no simple answer. So, be patient, they'll eventually get to the answer you are looking for.

     5. They sometimes have difficult time making decisions.

Scientists are always hungry for data. They seem to believe if they don't have enough data for a good decision, they don't decide. For eg. A scientist was searching for an office table to set up his home office. Most of the people will check a few websites, window shop a few stores and they'll have enough to make a choice. But to that scientist, he had to get a stack of office furniture brochures and a spreadsheet to compare prices of all the tables he was interested in. He was just trying to ensure making the absolute best choice.

Scientists are nice people trying to unlock the secrets of the universe. It's sometimes difficult for them to transition from data driven scientist to a normal human, especially when they are working on complex issues. And I can guarantee, if you are close to a scientist you'll have an honest companion to travel the roads of life with.