Psychology
How to Optimize Your Apology
October 17, 2018
Our latest Freakonomics Radio episode is called “How to Optimize Your Apology.” (You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above.) You said, “I’m sorry,” but somehow you haven’t been forgiven. Why? Because you’re doing it wrong! A report from the front lines of apology science. Below is a transcript of the episode, modified for your reading pleasure. For more information on the people and ideas...
October 17, 2018
Our latest Freakonomics Radio episode is called “How to Optimize Your Apology.” (You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere, get the RSS feed, or listen via the media player above.) You said, “I’m sorry,” but somehow you haven’t been forgiven. Why? Because you’re doing it wrong! A report from the front lines of apology science. Below is a transcript of the episode, modified for your reading pleasure. For more information on the people and ideas...
Brief Jog Sharpens Mind
October 13, 2018
The students who went for a jog, but not the relaxation students, subsequently showed significant improvement on the version of the Trail Making Test that measures mental speed and attentional control (but not the other that taps memory and cognitive switching). Moreover, this improvement in cognition was fully mediated by their increased feelings of energy and vigour, implying – although not proving conclusively – that the jog boosted cognition through its effects on their subjective sense of having...
October 13, 2018
The students who went for a jog, but not the relaxation students, subsequently showed significant improvement on the version of the Trail Making Test that measures mental speed and attentional control (but not the other that taps memory and cognitive switching). Moreover, this improvement in cognition was fully mediated by their increased feelings of energy and vigour, implying – although not proving conclusively – that the jog boosted cognition through its effects on their subjective sense of having...
Daniel Kahneman on the Marvels and Flaws of Our Human Intuition
October 1, 2018
A psychologist by training, Kahneman has never taken a course in economics; yet he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. How did that happen? He says his work came about from two conversations. His late colleague Amos Tversky showed him a paper called “The Psychological Assumptions of Economics,” which posited that the agent of economic theory is rational, selfish, and with tastes that do not change. To a psychologist, Kahneman said, this is astonishing. The notion that our beliefs...
October 1, 2018
A psychologist by training, Kahneman has never taken a course in economics; yet he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. How did that happen? He says his work came about from two conversations. His late colleague Amos Tversky showed him a paper called “The Psychological Assumptions of Economics,” which posited that the agent of economic theory is rational, selfish, and with tastes that do not change. To a psychologist, Kahneman said, this is astonishing. The notion that our beliefs...
Tautology and the Art of Listening
September 13, 2018
We only hear half of what we listen to. Perhaps that is why most people instinctively use tautology when they write or speak. Tautology is the use of different words to say the same thing or repeating the same thing twice, often in the same sentence, using different words. Most people don’t even know that they’re doing it. Tautology clutters otherwise simple communication. Mark Twain made entertaining and sarcastic use of tautology. His most famous example is “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose...
September 13, 2018
We only hear half of what we listen to. Perhaps that is why most people instinctively use tautology when they write or speak. Tautology is the use of different words to say the same thing or repeating the same thing twice, often in the same sentence, using different words. Most people don’t even know that they’re doing it. Tautology clutters otherwise simple communication. Mark Twain made entertaining and sarcastic use of tautology. His most famous example is “Suppose you were an idiot and suppose...
Zamir and Teichman on Behavioral Law & Economics
July 19, 2018
Eyal Zamir and Doron Teichman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law and Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law) have posted Behavioral Law and Economics - Introduction (Behavioral Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, 2018) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In the past few decades, economic analysis of law has been challenged by a growing body of experimental and empirical studies that attest to prevalent and systematic deviations from the assumptions of economic rationality....
July 19, 2018
Eyal Zamir and Doron Teichman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law and Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Faculty of Law) have posted Behavioral Law and Economics - Introduction (Behavioral Law and Economics, Oxford University Press, 2018) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In the past few decades, economic analysis of law has been challenged by a growing body of experimental and empirical studies that attest to prevalent and systematic deviations from the assumptions of economic rationality....
This Computer is Learning to Read Your Mind
July 7, 2018
Modern technology lets neuroscientists peer into the human brain, but can it also read minds? Armed with the device known as a electroencephalogram, or EEG, and some computing wizardry, our intrepid neuroscientists attempt to peer into a subject's thoughts.
July 7, 2018
Modern technology lets neuroscientists peer into the human brain, but can it also read minds? Armed with the device known as a electroencephalogram, or EEG, and some computing wizardry, our intrepid neuroscientists attempt to peer into a subject's thoughts.
“Trusting” the Expert
June 25, 2018
In an article entitled How Your Brain Can Trick You Into Trusting People, Tim Herrera discusses the shortcuts our brains take in everyday life to reach conclusion so that we can get through the day, otherwise known as unconscious biases. As an example, the author notes that if we enter a subway car that is empty, we may unconsciously draw the conclusion that there is a reason for this and so, we will move to the next car which is more crowded. (Id.) And, our brains are imbedded with unconscious...
June 25, 2018
In an article entitled How Your Brain Can Trick You Into Trusting People, Tim Herrera discusses the shortcuts our brains take in everyday life to reach conclusion so that we can get through the day, otherwise known as unconscious biases. As an example, the author notes that if we enter a subway car that is empty, we may unconsciously draw the conclusion that there is a reason for this and so, we will move to the next car which is more crowded. (Id.) And, our brains are imbedded with unconscious...
Note to Self: Learn, Unlearn & Repeat
June 23, 2018
To be successful, one must constantly learn and be open to learning. Not only do case law, statutes and regulations change all the time, technology has drastically changed how law is practiced and how a law office is run as a business. I was just telling my son the other day that in the late 1980’s attorneys were still researching the law “by hand” and Shepardizing cases to make sure cases were still good law based on a sliding scale of different-colored pamphlets to determine...
June 23, 2018
To be successful, one must constantly learn and be open to learning. Not only do case law, statutes and regulations change all the time, technology has drastically changed how law is practiced and how a law office is run as a business. I was just telling my son the other day that in the late 1980’s attorneys were still researching the law “by hand” and Shepardizing cases to make sure cases were still good law based on a sliding scale of different-colored pamphlets to determine...
Body Language Can Speak Volumes About You
June 20, 2018
Persuasive speakers and influencers know that communication is not only about what you say, but how your nonverbal, body language expresses your intentions and emotions. Someone’s words may say one thing, but their body language may signal something different. Being mindful about body language can help you clearly communicate your message and lessen the risk of being misunderstood in your communication, relationships, and negotiations. An article from Lifehack highlights...
June 20, 2018
Persuasive speakers and influencers know that communication is not only about what you say, but how your nonverbal, body language expresses your intentions and emotions. Someone’s words may say one thing, but their body language may signal something different. Being mindful about body language can help you clearly communicate your message and lessen the risk of being misunderstood in your communication, relationships, and negotiations. An article from Lifehack highlights...
Chess Grandmasters Show the Same Longevity Advantage as Elite Athletes
June 10, 2018
It’s well established that elite athletes have a longer life expectancy than the general public. A recent review of over 50 studies comprising half a million people estimated the athletic advantage to be between 4 and 8 years, on average. This comes as little surprise. One can easily imagine how the same genetic endowment and training necessary to develop physical prowess in sport might also manifest in physical health. Now for the first time, a study published in PLOS One (open access) shows...
June 10, 2018
It’s well established that elite athletes have a longer life expectancy than the general public. A recent review of over 50 studies comprising half a million people estimated the athletic advantage to be between 4 and 8 years, on average. This comes as little surprise. One can easily imagine how the same genetic endowment and training necessary to develop physical prowess in sport might also manifest in physical health. Now for the first time, a study published in PLOS One (open access) shows...
