The Role of the Unconscious in Insight Problem-Solving

The Role of the Unconscious in Insight Problem-Solving

What’s an “insight problem”? How do you solve such a problem? An insight problem is a problem that requires a fundamental shift in perspective in order to arrive at the solution. Oftentimes, the solution to an insight problem comes out seemingly out of nowhere in an “Aha! moment” fashion. In 1931, psychologist Norman Maier investigated how we arrive at solutions to insight problems in his famous Two-String Problem experiment. Here’s what he found.

Personal Preferences: Why Do We Like What We Like?

Personal Preferences: Why Do We Like What We Like?

Why do we like what we like? How do we determine our own preferences? Are our judgments about our own likes and dislikes always accurate? We’re good at making fast judgments about what we do and don’t like. But, surprisingly, sometimes these snap judgments about our own preferences can be inaccurate.  Here’s why your judgments about what you do and don’t like may not reflect your actual preferences.

Demonstrative Public Speaking: Show, Don’t Tell

Demonstrative Public Speaking: Show, Don’t Tell

What’s a demonstrative speech? What are some examples of demonstrative public speaking? As the name suggests, a demonstrative speech aims to provide a demonstration rather than to explain or persuade. It could be a demonstration of your work, a demo workshop on how to do something, or how something works. Chris Anderson, the author of TED Talks, offers one strategy for inventors and another for artists.

The Benefits of Unconscious Decision-Making

The Benefits of Unconscious Decision-Making

Do you ever make decisions on the fly, without taking the time to consider their potential consequences? Can snap decisions—decisions made by the unconscious mind—be better than decisions made with deliberation? Throughout our lives, we’ve been taught that our decisions are sounder if a lot of time and effort has gone into making them. But unconscious decisions can actually be just as good as—or even better than—the decisions that we make by analyzing a situation carefully. Learn about the benefits of unconscious decision-making and how snap decisions work in the brain.

Gut Decisions: 4 Tips for Making Better Choices

Gut Decisions: 4 Tips for Making Better Choices

Why do they say “trust your gut”? How do you know when your gut is right? Gut decisions can be advantageous in some circumstances, but they can lead you astray in others. Malcolm Gladwell suggests that you can make better instinctive decisions by providing the unconscious mind with structure. This involves rehearsing your desired spontaneous responses and developing rules that you can fall back on in times of stress. Here’s how you can “train your gut” to make better decisions, according to Gladwell.

The Mere Exposure Effect: Why We Like Familiarity

The Mere Exposure Effect: Why We Like Familiarity

What is the mere exposure effect? Why do we like things that are familiar and dislike what’s unfamiliar? The mere exposure effect occurs when we start to like things just because we’ve been exposed to them before. It applies to everything from the people we interact with to that song that keeps playing on the radio. Here’s why we like the familiar and try to stay from the unfamiliar.

Intuitive vs. Deliberate Decision-Making

Intuitive vs. Deliberate Decision-Making

How does the brain make decisions? Are decisions made through conscious deliberation always better than intuitive decisions made on the fly? Our brains use two broad strategies for making decisions: conscious or deliberate decision-making and unconscious or intuitive decision-making. We usually think that deliberate decisions should be the way to go. But according to Malcolm Gladwell, both logical, conscious decision-making and snap judgments have their time and place. Here’s why deliberate decisions aren’t necessarily the best decisions.

How to Make the Right Decision: Skills for Life

The 3 Core Principles of Objective Decision Making

How do you approach decision-making? Is the right decision always the most informed decision? Most of us have been taught that to make good decisions, we need to consider as much information as possible. But sometimes the right decision is a less-informed decision. Too much information can overwhelm you with details and obscure the bigger picture. Here’s how to make the right decision by considering less information.

The Effect of Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage

The Effect of Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage

What is the function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)? What happens when the vmPFC brain region is damaged? The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is an area of the brain which has been extensively studied with regard to value computation. Observing patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage has yielded some intriguing insights into the way the brain makes decisions. Learn about vmPFC’s role in decision-making, and what happens when it’s damaged.