Think Like Sherlock Holmes
When it comes to using our minds, we all want to learn how to think like Sherlock Holmes. This isn’t just a way of solving a crime. It’s a way of thinking. Maria Konnikova’s book, …
Psychology
The Art of Observation: The Two Types of Observations
Just because you see does not mean you observe. The difference between seeing and observing is fundamental to many aspects of life. Observation is more than simply seeing something, but rather a …
Brain Rules: 12 Ways to Supercharge Brain Power
If workplaces had nap rooms, multitasking was frowned upon, and meetings were held during walks, we’d be vastly more productive. These are just some of the things we know about how to optimize …
Notes From Underground
Can you be too conscious? In his short 1864 book, Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky tells the story of a man who is “too conscious.” The man, whose name we never learn is so aware of his own …
What is the Purpose of Dreaming? And more on Circadian Rhythms
Continuing with our recent exploration of sleep, I came across this passage by sleep researcher Rosalind Cartwright in The Twenty-four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives, …
TED Bookstore 2013
If you missed out on attending the famous TED conference this year — you’re not alone. But now you can queue up some of the books that were available at the TED Bookstore for your spring reading …
Richard Zeckhauser on Making Better Decisions
Richard Zeckhauser, aka Mr. Probability, is a champion Bridge player and the Frank Ramsey professor of political economy at Harvard University. Speaking about Zeckhauser, Charlie Munger, the brilliant …
The Psychology Of The To-Do List
Ten years after David Allen’s bestselling productivity book Getting Things Done, scientific research caught up. We now know why the popular system is so effective. The key behind GTD is writing …
The (Really) Invisible Gorilla
Inattentional blindness is the phenomenon of not being able to see things that are actually there. This concept was popularized in 2010 book The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us by …
Robert Greene explains the Process to Attain Mastery
The relationship between people and their craft is such that you can tell by the path they have followed whether they are a master or an amateur. Robert Greene, most famous for his exposure of power, …
Edward Tufte on Cognitive Load and Picasso
“The world is much more interesting than any one discipline.” — Edward Tufte *** NPR’s Science Friday talks with data scientist Edward Tufte on everything from Steve Jobs’ considerations of …
How feeling powerless directs the narratives of our mind
In his new book Mastery, Robert Greene writes discusses how feeling powerless directs the narratives of our mind. We live in a world that seems increasingly beyond our control. Our livelihoods are at …
Kathryn Schulz on why Knowledge Collapses as often as it Accretes
Kathryn Schulz comments on the fantasy that knowledge is static in This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking. Because so many scientific theories from bygone eras …
Oliver Burkeman: The Power of Negative Thinking
“Think Positive.” That’s what magazines and friends advise us to do in order to cope with the stress of the holiday season. That’s the same advice that Norman Vincent Peale, …
Michael Mauboussin: Three Things to Consider in Order To Make an Effective Prediction
Michael Mauboussin commenting on Daniel Kahneman: When asked which was his favorite paper of all-time, Daniel Kahneman pointed to “On the Psychology of Prediction,” which he co-authored with Amos …
Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies
Robert Gula in Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies: Let’s not call them laws; and, since they’re not particularly original, I won’t attach my name to them. They are merely a …