Hedonic Offset
I lived as a chronic procrastinator for a long time. If a task was boring, stressful, or both, I would… Read More »Hedonic Offset
psychology
Stereotyping
The difference between how we treat positive stereotypes vs negative stereotypes has always driven me a bit nuts. I wrote… Read More »Stereotyping
Ego
Ego is a funny thing. I was raised in Australia with a religious bent (I more identify as atheist now),… Read More »Ego
Moods
Related to my thoughts about The Different ‘Yous’ and Health… I find myself wondering why we treat adults so different… Read More »Moods
The Different ‘Yous’
This is related to my musing/crisis around identity. The Different ‘Yous’ I notice this phenomenon quite often, but I don’t… Read More »The Different ‘Yous’
‘Askers’ vs. ‘Guessers’
I love those moments when you come across a mental model that crystallizes a bunch of mental loose ends –… Read More »‘Askers’ vs. ‘Guessers’
Chesterton’s Fence
What is Chesterton’s Fence? Chesterton’s fence is the principle that reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the… Read More »Chesterton’s Fence
Emotions
The best thing I’ve read on emotions is, unsurprisingly – Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. The physiological side of emotions… Read More »Emotions
The 90-90 Rule
I’ve been trying to find this model/quote somewhere and I can’t find it anywhere! I think I noticed it in… Read More »The 90-90 Rule
Emotional Contagion
Here’s my newsletter issue on Emotional Contagion published today. It’s not my best writing but it’s one of my favorite… Read More »Emotional Contagion
Blind Tasting
I am always skeptical when people are sipping expensive wine and raving about how good it is. Vodka connoisseurs concern… Read More »Blind Tasting
Therapy
This old Bob Newhart clip cracks me up every time. Her acting is easily as good as his!
Hedonic Reset
I had some interesting life experiences which led me to coin the term Hedonic Reset sometime around 2014. I must… Read More »Hedonic Reset
Diagrams
I’m big believer in writing, but I think in some areas there’s nothing better than a good diagram. Flowcharts, data… Read More »Diagrams
Decision Making
The science of decision making is something that has fascinated me for years. Partly from a macro philosophical perspective –… Read More »Decision Making
Self Awareness
Learn to ask of all actions, “Why are they doing that?” Starting with your own Marcus Aurelius Acknowledging ignorance The… Read More »Self Awareness
The Halo Effect
What is The Halo Effect? I wrote about The Halo Effect in Issue #11 of Mental Models Weekly. The Reverse… Read More »The Halo Effect
Religion
It’s hard to know where to begin on this topic. I am fairly atheist. I’ve got a long personal story… Read More »Religion
Mindfulness
I focus a lot on being present. Whether with family or friends or even just when alone. Being present I… Read More »Mindfulness
Intuition
Intuition is not a mystical thing. Expert intuition strikes us as magical, but it is not. Indeed, each of us… Read More »Intuition
Contradictory Platitudes
If you think about confirmation bias long enough, you start to notice that most platitudes and proverbs have a contradictory… Read More »Contradictory Platitudes
Illusions
I love optical illusions as a metaphor to remember that perception is not reality. I once thought about getting the… Read More »Illusions
Satisficing
Satificing is one of my favorite mental models. Every day we make so many small low-impact decisions. Learning about “satisficing”… Read More »Satisficing
Sensory Food
I love this concept of sensory food. You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you… Read More »Sensory Food
Mental Models
If you just want to go straight to the Mental Models weekly newsletter please do. What is a mental model?… Read More »Mental Models