The Problem with Voting “The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right; indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.” Animal Farm, George Orwell In a friendly conversation with a stranger at a bar, it occurred … Read more
What is the Inverted U? The Inverted U In his book, David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell explains “The inverted U”. It’s a two-dimensional graph where the ease of parenting is measured vertically, while inherited wealth is measured horizontally and is a representation of data on people with varying levels of wealth. The graph is represented … Read more
A Better Experience Saving Time How much time has technology saved you? It’s amazing that not long ago, you needed payphones, notebooks, clunky alarm clocks, leather phone-books, photo albums, and hardcover encyclopedias. You needed travel agencies, postmen, and operators. But has technology gotten in the way of a better experience? You are spoiled by the … Read more
Coke’s Marketing Success Is Manipulation Wrong? Decades ago, Pepsi launched an advertising campaign that had people drink Pepsi and Coke from two different cups that were label-less and asked them to decide which drink they preferred. The results showed that Pepsi was preferred to Coke. This prompted Coke to launch a campaign that slightly altered … Read more
The Decision Point “Decision points”, a behavioral economics term, are interruptions to system one thinking – your brain on autopilot. Your mind has two systems. The first is responsible for your intuition and instinct. It’s automatic and fast. (Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman) The quick calculations your mind makes are due to the internalization … Read more
Write Everything Down Forget spending half your time online looking for ways to be more productive. There is just one thing you should do that will bring you the most results. Write things down. He is supported on crutches, but lacks so much support of muscle. He has a fine Geneva watch, but he fails … Read more
What is Irrationality? Can irrationality be good? If there was a complete convergence of behavior towards supreme rationality, what would the world look like? Would everyone be devoted to maximizing well-being, productivity, and the survival of their species – would anyone make art, music, or poetry? After-all, there is nothing rational about spending your time … Read more
“For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is.” Van Goethe The names that are inscribed in history books, and who’s teachings and legacies are religiously celebrated and tirelessly echoed by school teachers, professors, parents, and students are remarkable and exceptional people. But the … Read more
The Scapegoat Instinct “The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.” Dwight D. Eisenhower Blaming others is easy. You transfer responsibility to someone else for what went wrong, and without much effort on your part, other voices in the crowd will start following your lead. With social media, the act of scapegoating … Read more
If you compliment another person, you must quickly knock on wood to prevent bad luck that might occur to this person, that an evil eye might bring about bad luck. Many people inherit their superstitious beliefs from society or family, and pass those beliefs down to their children. But is it good to be superstitious? A … Read more