Attacking directly is rarely a good idea. Napoleon had a name for the opposite strategy, the ‘manoeuvre sur les derrieres’ – it would become a favorite of his. It worked because generals liked to place their armies in strong frontal positions and second, an army that is attacked from the flank must turn to defend … Read more
A German shepherd was receiving painful electric shocks. The dog can easily get out since the other side of the box he was in was insulated from shocks – a low barrier separates the two sides. Instead, he lies down in the corner of the electric side, whimpering with each jolt. He was physically removed … Read more
Detectives investigate the murder of a girl by Mr. Hyde. Utterson is a lawyer who learns that Dr. Jekyll had transferred all his property to this same Mr. Hyde. Utterson decides to investigate, and visits Jekyll and Dr. Lanyon, a friend of both, to learn about what happened. Dr. Lanyon said that he had … Read more
Amelia Boone has been called “the Michael Jordan of obstacle course racing” (OCR) and is considered the world’s most decorated obstacle racer. Amelia Boone has been called “the Michael Jordan of obstacle course racing” (OCR) and is considered the world’s most decorated obstacle racer. What would you put on a billboard? “No one owes you … Read more
The Science Fair Project In 1965, a 17-year-old Randy Gardner decided not to sleep for 11 straight days and observe what happened for his science fair project. William Dement, a scientist, was attracted to the idea and was given permission to study what happened to the boy’s mind during that time. Randy’s mind started to … Read more
Ebbinghaus showed us the power of repetition 100 years ago. The loss of memory that occurs one to two hours after learning something can be lessened by deliberate repetitions. The key is to space out the input. Memory takes a long time to settle into its permanent form and while it is solidifying, it is … Read more
The brain has several types of memory systems. One type follows four stages of processing: encoding, storing, retrieving, and forgetting. Hermann Ebbinghaus was born in 1850, he was famous for discovering that people usually forget 90 percent of what they learn in class within 30 days. He also showed that most of this forgetting happens … Read more
Interest Creates Attention We know that attention creates interest, but can interest create attention? Marketers think so. They use novel stimuli to harness attention in the service of interest. A print ad for Sauza Conmemorativo tequila is an example. There is an old, dirty, bearded man wearing a brimmed hat and smiling, revealing a single … Read more
All living things are made of cells. The surface of your skin is dead, this allows the rest of your cells experience life without wind or rain. Your brain is like a muscle, each activity you do makes it larger and more complex. This may not lead to more intelligence, but what is undeniable is … Read more
Adapt or Die The odds that our ancestors survived were very small. We were a tribe of 2000 people that managed to overcome our physical weaknesses through intelligence. Nature selected for those who learned from their mistakes, not necessarily those who had the sharpest fangs. Climate constantly changed, which forced us to improvise when dealing … Read more