This Is How To Make Life Magical – Scientifically: 5 Secrets Backed By Research
was hesitant to write this. I'm the guy who talks about using evidence-backed stuff -- scientific research -- to get real results. But now I'm going to talk about magic... No, this isn't Hogwarts and I haven't totally lost it. Science gives us clear answers to deal with challenges. Problem is, well, us. We're just not very scientific creatures. Our brains are wired all funny and we're often not terribly rational. As writer Matthew Hutson points out, we often see meaning where there isn't…
9 minutes
This Is How To Survive In A Toxic Workplace: 3 Secrets From Research
you deal with some awful people at work? Do they annoy you beyond belief at times? Actually, it's a lot worse than that -- whether you realize it or not. In addition to making you miserable, those impossible bosses and jerk co-workers can reduce your productivity, reduce your empathy, and even give you a heart attack. From The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt: New nurses bullied by veteran nurses and doctors put…
8 minutes
Computer Science Reveals 4 Secrets That Will Make You Happy
ere do you go for most of your answers these days? Google. And it's no surprise that Google's a company full of engineers. Engineers solve problems. That's what they do. And computer software engineers have developed methods -- algorithms -- to solve some of the most insanely complex problems out there. So what if we turned that cold, clinical science toward the warmest and most human of problems? Turns out you can get some amazing solutions. No, you don't need to understand calculus…
8 minutes
How To Make The World A Better Place: 4 Secrets Backed by Research
ny people aren’t happy with the way things are going right now. You want to make the world a better place -- but you don’t have superpowers (I think that’s a safe assumption) and you don’t get to vote all that often. Actually, it's worse than that. It turns out many of the philanthropic things we can do don't work all that well. And the way we go about engaging in them is fraught with problems too -- like cognitive biases. And then…
10 minutes
This Is The Most Insane Way To Be Smarter, Confident, and Resilient
at critical voice in your head. Always telling you how you're screwing up. Always putting the worst-case-scenario front and center. We all have it. (I call it "Lefty.") You're hearing a lot these days about how to turn down the volume on your critical inner monologue. (Um, sometimes from me, actually.) But let's try looking at it a little differently for a sec, shall we? What if you don't need fewer voices in your head -- what if you need more…
7 minutes
5 Questions That Will Make You Emotionally Strong
ver been caught in the grip of extreme emotions? I'm gonna guess whatever decision you made next probably wasn't a good one. When we're anxious, angry, or sad, we rarely do the smart thing. And that can seriously mess up our lives. At work, in love, or pretty much anything…
9 minutes
This Is How To Stop Checking Your Phone: 5 Secrets From Research
ow long do you think the average work email goes unread? 10 minutes? 5 minutes? 1 minute? Try 6 seconds. From Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked: In reality, 70 percent of office emails are read within six seconds of arriving. Yes, Houston, we have…
9 minutes
New Neuroscience Reveals 4 Easy Rituals That Will Make You Stress-Free
e modern world seems to be designed to increase stress and I'm starting to wonder if worrying will soon be an Olympic sport. You may have your own ways of coping with stress. Problem is, research says they probably don't work. From The Willpower Instinct: The APA’s national survey on stress found that the most commonly used strategies were also rated as highly ineffective by the same people who reported using them. For example, only 16 percent of people who eat…
7 minutes
