9 Steps To New Year’s Resolutions That Last Longer Than New Year’s Day
is year I resolve to... Hold on a second. Let's not join the lemmings who screw this up every year. 88% of people fail to achieve their New Year's Resolutions. There is a ton of science on this subject so if we want to do New Year's Resolutions, let's do them right. First, Stop Fantasizing Do fantasies give you the energy to achieve your goals? Nope. Fantasies steal the energy you need to achieve your goals: Positive fantasies allow people to mentally…
5 minutes
Barking Up The Wrong Tree: Top 10 of 2013
What’s The Most Important Life Lesson Older People Feel You Must Know? Spoiler alert: Don't stay in a job you dislike. You know those nightmares where you are shouting a warning but no sound comes out? Well, that’s the intensity with which the experts wanted to tell younger people that spending years in a job you dislike is a recipe for regret and a tragic mistake. There was no issue about which the experts were more adamant and forceful. Over and over they…
5 minutes
How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big
ott Adams created a multimillion dollar empire. That empire is more commonly known as"Dilbert." I mentioned him on this blog before because he gave some of the simplest, most profound advice for getting along with people that I've ever heard: Be brief and say something positive. If you've read Dilbert, you know Adams understands a great deal about human nature. (Then again I probably relate more to Calvin and Hobbes than most of the western canon.) His new book, How…
7 minutes
2 Easy Ways To Increase Willpower — Courtesy Of The Cookie Monster
llpower Is Destiny Haven't we all heard of Mischel's Marshmallow Self-Control Test by now? If not, here's a quick summary: Stick a little kid alone in a room with nothing but a marshmallow. Tell the kid they can eat it now or, if they wait 15 minutes, they get two. Then you leave the kid alone. Some children eat the marshmallow immediately, others wait and earn two. Big deal, right? Wrong. It's a huge deal. Check with those kids 20 years…
3 minutes
The Scientific Way To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse
's Halloween! Let's talk to a PhD neuroscientist about the zombie brain and the scientific way to survive the zombie apocalypse. Bradley Voytek is a neuroscientist and cognitive scientist at UCSD. He did his PhD in neuroscience at UC Berkeley and post-doc research in neurology at UCSS. He’s also one of the "leading experts" on the zombie brain and is currently writing a book on it for Princeton University Press. Bradley and I spoke about the zombie brain, the most realistic zombie…
3 minutes
How To Be More Confident: 5 Research Backed Methods
one doubts the value of confidence. In fact, research shows people often prefer confidence over actual expertise. G. Richard Shell teaches at the Wharton School and his book Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success has a great chapter on how to be more confident. Here's what you need to know. Surround Yourself With People Who Believe in You I've posted a lot about how the power of context can improve behavior. And people are a part of that. When you're told you're…
4 minutes
How To Develop A Photographic Memory: 4 Easy Steps
ould you memorize the order of a deck of cards in under 30 seconds? (Hat tip to Josh.) Don't feel bad; I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday. In fact, one-third of British people under 30 can't remember their home phone number. Via Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science…
5 minutes
FBI Profiler Jim Clemente Talks Serial Killers, Deception And Danger
terview with FBI Profiler Jim Clemente Jim Clemente is a retired FBI profiler who worked at the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico. He investigated serial killers, serial rapists, child abduction, child homicide cases, and was part of the team that cracked the DC Sniper case. Jim worked undercover on Wall Street, participated in the Whitewater investigation, was on the scene after the towers fell on 9/11 and was brought in to consult on interrogation after the controversy at Guantanamo. He…
6 minutes
