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Decision-making

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Photo of two people embracing indoors, one hand resting gently on the other’s back, both wearing blue clothing with soft-focus background.

Decision-making

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Going with your gut feels good, but it’s not always wise

Research is revealing the mood benefits of making intuitive decisions, but some situations call for an analytical approach

by Carina Remmers

Photo of a café interior showing a person working on a laptop inside by the window while another person is entering through the door.

Goals and motivation

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How temptation works, and why it nearly stopped me writing this

Temptation can be sneaky – a rationalising voice that subtly undermines your resolve. But there are ways to outsmart it

by John Schwenkler

Several climbers trek across a snow-covered mountain ridge, enshrouded in mist, with rocky outcrops visible to the left. The path they follow is narrow and steep, demonstrating the challenging conditions of high-altitude mountaineering.

Decision-making

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How a ‘dominance’ mindset encourages leaders to put others at risk

To find ways to deter this recklessness, we’ve studied the mindset of financiers and others who take ‘moral hazard’ decisions

by Hemant Kakkar & Garrett L Brady

Traffic on a rainy motorway with a sign indicating a stranded vehicle and a 40 mph speed limit.

Decision-making

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Why small annoyances can harm us more than big disruptions

A largely forgotten psychological concept helps explain the insidiousness of minor problems – and what to do about it

by Shayla Love

Painting depicts a casino scene with people gathered around a green roulette table. The players are engaged, focused on the game. The roulette wheel is visible on the right side, and a green lamp hangs above. The scene is vibrant, with expressive brushstrokes and vivid colours.

Knowledge and reason

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What we gain by recognising the role of chance in life

Appreciating the world is random can foster perseverance, gratitude for our own luck and empathy for the plight of others

by Mark R Rank

Two women laughing and playfully interacting in a dimly lit backstage area, with two people holding papers in the blurred background.

Decision-making

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Stereotypes might not be as powerful as psychologists assumed

Research on first impressions suggests that people’s behaviour can trump any biased assumptions we might make about them

by Shayla Love

Abstract illustration of a man in profile, reclining with a pipe in his hand, set against a red and black background.

Decision-making

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Do you think more clearly when reading or when listening?

How we take in information has a remarkably significant effect on how intuitive or analytical we are in thinking about it

by Janet Geipel & Boaz Keysar

Man sits in a worn black car loaded with a large pile of carrots in the back seat, parked beside an old red vehicle.

Values and beliefs

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Do you have a duty to tell people they’re wrong about carrots?

How to decide whether you should correct someone’s false beliefs about carrots, vaccines and South American dictators

by Giulia Terzian & M Inés Corbalán

People standing near a large crack on the concrete floor, resembling an art installation or structural damage.

Mind and brain

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Allow error into your life and experience the joy of surprise

Neuroscience theories see the human brain as an error-minimising machine. But that overlooks the joy of the unexpected

by Leyla Loued-Khenissi

Food stall selling fried dough at a night fair, staffed by two workers, with customers and a child with a stroller in front.

Thinkers and theories

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The id and the nudge: where Freud meets behavioural economics

Both Sigmund Freud and behavioural economists describe a dual-process mind. But the differences in their ideas are revealing

by Briana S Last

A man pushing a child in a pram up a grassy hill with mountains and a small village in the background on a sunny day.

Parenting and families

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It should be OK for parents to express regret about having children

Regret is common to all humans. So it’s no surprise that some parents regret having children: it shouldn’t be a taboo topic

by Jenna Abetz & Julia Moore

Two children sitting on a wooden fence in a rural area under a blue sky with scattered clouds, with fields in the background.

Personality

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The fence is uncomfortable, but it affords the best view

Ambivalence is often misconstrued as flakiness. In fact, recognising both sides of an argument fosters empathy and insight

by Iris Schneider