As a psychology enthusiast, I love analyzing human behavior. Sometimes, though, I wonder when I notice something that hasn’t been popularized in the social sciences or self-help communities. My personal favorite is the formula for emotions that I identified that I still have yet to see take off (Emotions = Desire + Belief + Experience), but a...
Read More“You’re a pushy little bastard, ain’t ya? But I like that…I like that!” — John Kreese, The Karate Kid Successful people often point to their persistence as what leads to success. Most people think of persistence as just keep trying until you eventually succeed, but then there’s the “insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and...
Read MoreOne of the most interesting psychological conflicts in life is the idea of going with the new or the familiar. Seinfeld said it best when he was frustrated with Kenny Bania’s inane conversations: Bania: For our next meal, do you think we should come here, or should we go someplace else? You know it has its pros and cons. On the one hand, here,...
Read MoreBeliefs are interesting—and necessary—because you can’t know everything. Did you leave the stove on? If you don’t remember turning it off, you might have doubts. If you’re not home, you’d have to go back to make sure (unless you have an IoT smart device). Who was the 32nd president of the United States? You might have to look that one up or, if...
Read MoreMost people are familiar with the idea of “sour grapes”, which means that you put something down after you realize that you can’t get it. The term originates from Aesop’s Fables, where a fox tries to get delicious grapes only to realize that he cannot reach them. Upon this realization, he says to himself, “They were sour, anyway.” Obviously, he...
Read MoreThere are two things you need to work toward your goals in life: desire and belief. Desire is the driving force, motivating you to take action; belief is the sustaining force, keeping you going through adversity. While desire and belief don’t guarantee success, they do maximize your willingness and ability to take action toward
Read MoreIn a way, all human interactions are like stand-up comedy. You are speaking to an audience. You want or expect a certain reaction from what you say. If you get the reaction you want, you are pleased; if you do not get the reaction you want, you change your approach. If you don’t play to one audience well, you’ll either change your style to match...
Read MoreWhen observing people’s preferences and perception of things, one of the most interesting things to me is how truth, morality, quality, and popularity are conflated. Don’t get me wrong—I understand why: popularity is usually a great indicator of quality; honesty is generally considered to be moral; doing something the right way is considered to...
Read MoreWhen people are frustrated with a video game, most people love a good cheat code to get through it. Boss beating you up? Infinite health prevents you from dying. Run out of ammunition? Infinite ammo code to allow you to destroy everything from hundreds of feet away. Can’t get past a difficult platforming stage? Use a cheat to jump, fly, or even...
Read MoreIt's a common question that people ask to generate discussion, especially in the modern technological era. Do we live in a simulation? Is everything around us actually real? It sounds like a fun thought experiment about how the universe we live in came to be and whether it is as substantial as we perceive it. However, people are usually asking...
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