The Barnum Effect: why we love astrology and personality tests
What do astrology, fortune telling, and cold reading have in common? They all exploit the Barnum Effect to convince people that the statements are personal to them.
«As with most cognitive biases, half of the battle is to be aware of the Barnum Effect.»
More from Ness Labs
Temptation bundling: stop procrastinating by boosting your willpower
Temptation bundling is a productivity technique that involves combining an activity that gives you instant gratification, such as watching TV, with one that is beneficial but has a delayed reward,…
«trying to reply to important work emails while watching one of your favourite TV shows may not be the best combination, as your concentration levels are likely to be affected.»
The psychology of unfinished tasks
Unfinished tasks can overwhelm us or motivate us. These contradictory experiences are due to the Zeigarnik and the Ovsiankina effects.
«compared to a task that has not yet been started, individuals have a stronger urge to complete interrupted or unfinished assignments.»
Fear setting: an exercise to define and conquer your fears
Fear setting involves identifying and defining your fears so that you can overcome them. It's a process of reflection to step away from the everyday grind to gain perspective on your fears.
«The good news is that if you can identify which fears are rational, and which are irrational, you can exert some level of control over them.»
Habit trackers: does tracking your habits actually work?
We rarely lack good intentions. Establishing habits, however, can feel like a struggle, and there’s often a gap between intention and execution.
«Apply the “never miss twice” principle»
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The arrival fallacy: why we should decouple our happiness from our goals
“When I achieve this goal, then I will be happy.” We often mistakenly believe that achieving our goals will make us happy. That tendency is called the arrival fallacy.
«Although completing a goal may lead to the arrival fallacy, Dr Tal Ben-Shahar maintains that having objectives is essential to personal growth.»
How to break unhealthy habits: Stop obsessing over willpower and focus on routines
Understanding and changing the environment in which habits form is a critical step when it comes to breaking unwanted behaviors and forming healthy ones.
«Instead, we concoct more compelling explanations, like saying we drink coffee to ease our morning fog.»
How colours affect the way you think
Our world is awash with a rainbow of colours, but certain shades can have a surprising impact on our ability to concentrate, our mood and even our taste.
«And if you want a child to concentrate, you might consider painting a classroom in a vivid palette and so bolster their reading scores.»
Why Great Things Never Came From Comfort Zones
Why great things never came from comfort zones? Because the world is always changing. We need to face uncertainty to move forward.
«But what you’ll find out eventually. If, of course, you decide to stick with these scary routines. Is that life feels much more meaningful.»
The Value of 'No'
What we can learn from rejections.
«If you hear "yes" at every single career stage, you probably did not reach high enough. If you never hear "no," chances are you did not take many risks (or you are just exceptionally talented, lucky, or both).»
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