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What Radium Poisoning Can Teach You About Your Psychology
WWI, radium, and the power of cognitive dissonance.
What’s everyone’s favorite war? WWII, of course. It’s got it all. Bombs, injustice, war crimes. It’s the sequel that somehow performed better than the original. However, it’s the first in the series, WWI, of which I would like you to turn your attention. For there you will find a tale that is most interesting. One that has to do with radium, watch painters, and cognitive dissonance. (Source)
It’s the 1910s. Radium is the hot commodity. Yes, radium — the glowing radioactive metal that contributed to the death of Marie Curie. But this was before she died. In the 1910s, radium was the thing. It was the it-girl of its time. And coincidentally, that’s who spent a lot of time with it. Young women.
The US entered WWI in 1917.
At home, the war effort was front and center. Everyone wanted to do their part. Victory gardens and all that. In New Jersey, a business appeared. One that promised great pay, safe working conditions, and a magical time. Magical because of the product they handled. Radium. With its glowing novelty, the company was the dream job for every impoverished young woman in the area. Their task: paint watch dials.
