I’ve been fascinated lately by the inability of people to use the simple phrase: “I was wrong.” Being wrong is great! It’s a powerful life tool! Sure, it hurts for a moment or two, like ripping off a band-aid. But after that, it’s liberating. Letting go of an idea that [Keep reading]
Most of us have settled into our new stay-at-home lives, though I hope none of this ever really feels normal to us. Still, the business of business carries on, best as it can. So we must all try to do the same. I’ve spent the past couple of years contributing [Keep reading]
You’ve been “hearing” a lot of yelling lately on social media — about the president, about the virus, or if you’re lucky, about sports. You’ve probably read thousands of comments and wasted countless hours on some of these round-and-round-we-go discussions. Have you ever witnessed anyone change their mind? Not often. [Keep reading]
It’s the end of January — if that means your dry January ends today, I toast you for making it! But usually, the change to February makes you realize you have abandoned all the good intentions you had on New Year’s Day. January is usually a harsh reminder of how [Keep reading]
What’s a “nudge unit” and how might it help your company, your employes or yourself be better at whatever you do? The folks at PeopleScience.com asked me to look into that recently. It’s pretty fascinating. I’ve been writing about cognitive biases and other human behavior research for some time now [Keep reading]
Quick: Which British king had six wives? And now, who won the 2012 World Series? Not a sports fan? Then try this one: Who was the runner up in the 2012 Republican presidential primary race? There’s a good chance you remember the name Henry VIII from high school. I remember [Keep reading]
An English teacher may have taught you that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Your science teacher probably should have taught you that the English teacher was wrong — or at least using a bit too much poetic license. In truth, research shows that making concrete plans [Keep reading]
There’s a close play at the plate. Under a cloud of dust, the runner’s hand appears to sneak in just before the catcher applies the tag, but in real-time, it’s hard to say. The umpire signals safe. There’s an instant replay challenge. Video is shown on the board at Chicago’s [Keep reading]
Laziness is one of humanity’s most powerful driving forces. It’s also perhaps the greatest insight from the field of behavioral science — or the one that’s been put to the most practical use, anyway. It goes by the fancy name “default bias,” and societies around the world are now using [Keep reading]
It’s the end of January, which probably means you’ve already forgotten about your New Year’s resolutions. That’s ok. I’m here to help with today’s annoying overly simple trick for getting past a psychological hurdle you are facing. Want to achieve that goal you’ve given up on? Move the finish line [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan