“Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited.” Robert Cialdini, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” The last time you bought anything online, there’s a good chance the website read, “Only 3 items in stock” or “Only 2 left at this price”...
What do you do if you walk down the street and see a group of people looking up in the air? Exactly. What they do. What if the culture at your job is to work long hours? You will likely put in more hours, too. We mirror what others do because it’s hard work to constantly...
“The rule says we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us.” Robert Cialdini, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” It feels great to receive. But why do you always feel that you must return the favor? Reciprocity is the human obligation to give, to receive...
Clear thinking is an art. That’s why so many people fail at it. We are all prone to cognitive biases, which are errors we make in our everyday thinking. I hope you accept my warm welcome to this collection of 12 cognitive biases that can really mess up your decision-making, screw...
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 4 ‘I don’t give a shit.’ I’m afraid it’s terminal. Let me clarify. It’s not that I don’t care about anything, you know, like a pimpled teenager. But at some point, my mid-thirties thick and balding...
You and I have to make our minds up on many things to save time and energy. We accumulate shortcuts for decisions and beliefs to avoid a mental meltdown. During this intuitive process, confirmation bias lends you a helping hand. I bet you can answer these without blinking: Are cats better...
Germany, late 1990s. Psychologist, and Nobel Prize winner, Daniel Kahneman asks a group of German students: How happy are you these days?How many dates did you have last month? The results showed no correlation between the students’ happiness and the number of dates. That was until Kahneman...
This is a continuation of part I. Go here, if you want 1-3. 4. Prioritizing and single-tasking When people say they’re busy, it’s usually a boast disguised as a complaint. Instead of prioritizing and doing less, many people choose to run faster and do more. Willpower or working harder isn’t...
Do you know the joke where the doctor asks the stressed patient, “What fits your busy schedule better, working out one hour a day – or being dead 24 hours a day?” Admittedly, this isn’t much of a joke. But the doctor’s question is worth a thought. Ask yourself this: What did you achieve yesterday...
I get it. You’ve read a few articles on money affirmations, and you’re suspicious. If not, you should be. Most articles on affirmations are cheerful tales about repeating outlandish hooey and faking it ‘til you make it. And all of a sudden, money starts pouring from the sky? Suffice it to say. It...