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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Decision-making
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The mathematical case against blaming people for their misfortune
Complexity science reveals the hard limits of our predictive abilities, and makes a mathematical case for compassion
by David Kinney
Decision-making
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Emotions should be in the heart of complex political debates
Emotion is not opposed to reason but a crucial tool for assessing risk in a complex, uncertain world
by Sabine Roeser