If you ever study social psychology or marketing, at some point you will come across Robert Cialdini’s work on influence (and his classic book by […]
How to Describe What I Know: The Appeal (and Frustration) of Psychology
I took my first psychology class in college without really knowing what psychology was or what psychologists did. When I was a first-year student at […]
What’s In A Name? Question Wording and Answer Patterns
Names matter, a lot. Not just for people, but for ideas, projects, and programs as well. From a psychological perspective, there are a lot of […]
What Airplane Pilots and Surgeons Have In Common: How Structure Enables Safety
In many high performance jobs, the tasks are done in as standard a manner as possible. Following a precise set of procedures accomplishes a number […]
Flipping the Cultural Lens: A European Take on Americans
I recently found myself flying from Stockholm to London on British Airways. Looking to pass a few minutes before landing, I flipped open one of […]
Politeness Without a Please: Denmark’s Missing Word
When I travel to a new place, I usually try to equip myself with a few basic vocabulary words: Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, English. […]
Why the Human Doctor Will Never Be Obsolete
If you are interested in a comprehensive overview of the current state of computer and internet technology in healthcare, I highly recommend The Digital Doctor: […]
An Idea is Born: Writing and the Creative Process
Last week I attended a really cool event: I saw Stephen King interview Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels, at Sanders Theater at […]
Case Study: The Lion and The Owl Share a Manager. He’s a Cat.
I have a few general criticisms of personality tests in the workplace, many of which stem from people’s interpretation of them as deterministic diagnoses. Too […]
You Probably Didn’t Realize This, But You’re A Jerk
If you’ve ever managed people at work, taken a low-level psychology course (especially organizational or social psychology), or read an advice column about giving someone […]