Alright, they're swaying the results of this. Part of it may be their fault, but part of it may also be that the journalist is just really bad at choosing the right way of wording things.
First of all: It sort of makes sense that someone who is flying under their own control would be more alert to their surroundings than someone who is 'just along for the ride.' I noticed long ago that I'm terrible at remembering how to get from point A to point B in a car if I try to learn it while being driven there. Only after driving there myself, did the route ever stick in my memory.
Second: And this conclusion is actually just as interesting to me as theirs. People were given the CHOICE of whether to fly on their own, or ride in a helicopter. The only way to fairly arrive at their conclusion would be to randomly give people one experience or the other, and then see how they react to the pens. Could it still mean that flying on your own makes you more altruistic? Sure. But it could also mean that people who would prefer to have superpowers (or are more interested in experiencing fantasy), are more inclined to go out of their way to help someone.
