My notes on everything psychology related.
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
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
Jack La Lanne was born in 1914. “Jumping Jacks” are named after him, and he invented the first cable-fastened pulleys, and first leg-machines, and even the first weight selectors – all necessities of the modern gym. What’s most impressive about him isn’t even his muscles, but his mind. He is mentally alert, humorous, and lightning … Read more
The Center of Gravity Strategy Man depends on his throat to survive. If his throat is strangled, his give sense organs will become useless. When you are faced with an enemy, know how to locate their throat. Crush your enemy not through brute force, but through intelligent force. Every person has a center of gravity, … Read more
To remain disciplined and calm while waiting for disorder to appear amongst the enemy is the art of self-possession. Sun-tzu (fourth century B.C.) In the 1930’s, Mao Tse-tung was a rising hero of the Communist army. His philosophy and guerilla tactics led them to many victories against the Nationalist party, even though he was often … Read more
The Counterattack Strategy The counterattack is a classic approach to warfare. Most people either spend their time attacking, leaving themselves vulnerable or they are extremely defensive and miss out on valuable opportunities. The third option is the counterattack. Do not commit to either attack or defense, instead, learn the art of timing. People are generally … Read more
Jordan Peterson is often less known for the content of his work than he is for his sometimes controversial political views, but I personally was attracted to the content in these lectures that were based on his first book Maps of Meaning.