Professor of Psychology Steven Pinker prefers not to be confined to a gym. An avid outdoorsman, he wrote in an e-mail, “I like any kind of exercise that causes scenery to go by at a rate that depends on how hard I work out.” Those activities include biking, jogging, sculling, roller blading, kayaking and hiking.
When Cambridge winters get really bad, Pinker sets up a rowing ergometer inside or turns the pedals of a stationary bike.
Tatar also mentioned fierce winters as the only damper on her physical activity.
So when snow and ice settle in on Cambridge, how do professors find the motivation to break a sweat?
Tatar suggested that encouragement may come from the classroom.
“We are around young people all the time,” she said. “We look extraordinarily old to these people and that puts pressure on us.”
—Staff writer Wendy D. Widman can be reached at widman@fas.harvard.edu.