Psychology
what happens when a word is on the tip of the tongue
According to psychologists Bennett Schwartz and Janet Metcalfe, lethologica may be seen as a meta-cognitive process, which signals a weak recall—in contrast to no recall at all. But when you feel like something is on the tip of your tongue, your mind is telling you: we should know this. If you find yourself repeatedly struggling…
Read MoreThe science of deliberate practice
Of course, more practice will make the difference between being good and being great, but the most efficient route to expertise is not mindless practice—it’s deliberate practice. Becoming an expert at a particular skill has more to do with the quality of the practice than with talent. Deliberate practice is focused, systematic, and purposeful. It’s…
Read MoreHindsight bias: the knew-it-all-along phenomenon
Historians and physicians alike are constantly fighting an invisible beast: the hindsight bias, also known as creeping determinism, which is the tendency for people to perceive past outcomes as having been more predictable than they actually were. Linked to distortions of our memories, the hindsight bias causes us to think we knew how an event…
Read MoreSome business and leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson
Temperament is the great separator. Four days after FDR took the presidential oath in 1933, he visited former Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was celebrating his 92nd birthday. After that visit, Holmes described Roosevelt as having, “A second-class intellect. But a first-class temperament.”Intelligence is important but it’s useless if not paired with the…
Read MoreThe 60-Second Approach to Managing Emotions
Intense emotions can easily overwhelm our senses and have a powerful impact on our behavior. If we’re angry with a coworker, we might feel a strong urge to argue with them in front of the entire team.This is why emotion regulation is so important. As a researcher and therapist, I’ve spent over a decade studying…
Read MoreTime is not a measure of productivity
Not so long ago, most people were working at an office desk, and were expected to show their face every single weekday. Arrive at a certain time, take a lunch break, and stay late enough that people know you are working hard. Using principles from hourly work to define productivity in knowledge work has resulted…
Read MoreSeven Ways to Stoke Your Natural Optimism
Neuroscientists tell us that humans are hard-wired for optimism. Makes sense when you think about it — our ancestors went hunting and gathering and sailing and sewing and so on because they expected something good. Optimists have better pain management, immune response and physical function. But with all that is going on in the world…
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