Psychology
How the Brain Responds to Beauty
Pursued by poets and artists alike, beauty is ever elusive. We seek it in nature, art and philosophy but also in our phones and furniture. We value it beyond reason, look to surround ourselves with it and will even lose ourselves in pursuit of it. Our world is defined by it, and yet we struggle…
Read MoreThe Nirvana fallacy: when perfectionism leads to unrealistic solutions
“Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” wrote Voltaire in 1772. The Nirvana fallacy consists in comparing existing solutions with ideal, perfect ones—which are often unrealistic. The Nirvana fallacy can lead to dangerous thinking and harmful decisions. Solutions that improve safety but do not completely eliminate a risk are often the victim of the Nirvana fallacy.…
Read MoreDo these 5 things and you’ll never run out of new ideas
The challenge with innovation in big companies is that true creativity requires speed and agility and the ability to take chances. Big companies are often risk-averse. In small companies, innovation happens on the ground floor. Innovation is a state. It’s something you practice. So if you never want to run out of ideas, here are…
Read MoreLarry King Always Asked Questions Like This, and It Was Pure Emotional Intelligence
People will remember Larry King for many reasons, but I think they all grew from the same original place. In short, King succeeded for decades as an interviewer because he learned to ask questions, listen closely, and follow up correctly. As a result, he got people to open up and reveal themselves — sometimes more than they intended to. Here…
Read MoreWhy People Believe in Conspiracy Theories
2020 was a banner year for conspiracy theories. The outbreak was intentionally caused; the virus was created in a lab; the virus was caused by the rollout of the 5G cellphone network; the virus was spread by Bill Gates so that he could use a vaccination program to implant microchips into people that would let…
Read MoreCreating habits: how long does it take to form a habit?
Dr. Phillippa Lally is a behavioural scientist and health psychologist. During her PhD and fellowship at University College London, her work focused on habit formation and weight control. In an experimental study, her team investigated the process of habit formation in everyday life. They enrolled 96 participants and asked them to choose an eating, drinking…
Read MoreActivation energy: the chemistry of getting started
In chemistry, activation energy is the energy that must be provided to result in a chemical reaction. The more energy is needed, the harder it is to start the chemical reaction. In work and life as well, we sometimes need to get over the initial hump of getting started. For instance, it can be hard…
Read More