Darya Sinusoid

Darya’s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain/mind/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.

Bias in Journalism: Why Journalists Take Sides

Do you think journalists are largely objective in their representation of news? What happens when a journalist disseminates a biased perspective? According to Nassim Taleb, bias in journalism is the result of journalists’ lack of “skin in the game.” Their salaries don’t depend on how much useful and accurate information they convey to the public—rather, they depend on how well they fulfill their employers’ expectations. In this article, we’ll describe the flaws caused by a lack of skin in the game that Taleb has identified in the news media.

Skin in the Game: Nassim Taleb’s Philosophy of Risk

What is Nassim Taleb’s “skin in the game” philosophy? What does it mean to have your skin in the game? In this book Skin in the Game, Nassim Nicholas Taleb deconstructs what we know about life and society with a new ideological framework that’s both unconventional in its insights and fundamentally human. By reinterpreting life in terms of risk and reward, Taleb demonstrates how “skin in the game” is the foundation of an honorable and fulfilling life and why shirking your fair share of risk is the root of all evil. In this article, we’ll explore Nassim Taleb’s philosophy behind

How to Stimulate Creativity: Get in Touch With Big Magic

How do you stimulate creativity? More importantly, how do you see your creative idea to fruition? In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert says that ideas come to you from the creative realm of “Big Magic.” When this happens, there are a number of responses you can give. The most common is to pass on the idea. The idea will then move on to find another host who can take it on. The other response is to say yes. When you say yes to an idea, you choose to work together and see the idea through to the end, whatever

How Fear Becomes a Negative Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

What exactly is a self-fulfilling prophecy? How do expectations influence behavior? A self-fulfilling prophecy is a psychological phenomenon whereby your (originally false) expectations manifest in your actual reality. In other words, by anticipating a certain outcome, you start behaving in ways to make it come true. For example, if you fear your partner will leave you, you could start acting in ways that push them way (even though, originally there was no basis to believe so). In this article, we’ll explore how negative expectations can turn into a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.

Skin in the Game: Book Review, Context, and Reception

Is Nassim Taleb’s Skin in the Game worth reading? How does Taleb define having your “skin in the game”? Skin in the Game is the 2018 addition to Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s bestselling Incerto, a series of philosophical nonfiction works dedicated to exploring how uncertainty defines our world. The book is a treatise on the necessity of skin in the game—the need for everyone to be held accountable for the consequences of their actions. In this Skin in the Game review, we’ll cover the book’s context, background, and critical reception by the readers.

How to Embrace Your Fear of Creativity

What is the connection between fear and creativity? How do fear and anxiety affect the creative process? According to Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Big Magic, fear is an inherent element of creativity. This is because fear’s main purpose is to protect us in situations of uncertainty, and, unfortunately, the creative process is full of uncertainty. Here is how you can embrace your fear of creativity and create nonetheless.

Nassim Taleb: The Psychology of Loss Aversion

What is loss aversion? Do you think it’s rational to be loss-averse? In psychology, loss aversion is a cognitive bias whereby individuals would rather avoid losses than acquire gains. Most psychologists describe humans’ sense of loss aversion as irrational. They justify this with math—studies show that people are willing to overpay to insure against financial loss. However, according to Nassim Taleb, loss aversion is an adaptive phenomenon because it helps us survive. In this article, we’ll explore Taleb’s take on loss aversion.

How Negative Thought Patterns Hurt Your Mental Health

Do you often find yourself slipping into negative thought patterns, ruminating about the past, or imagining the worst-case scenarios in the future? Can negative thinking attract negative experiences? According to Joseph Murphy, the author of The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, if you’re not entirely happy with your life experiences, it’s because you’re thinking “false” negative thoughts that contradict the positive force of Universal Consciousness. These negative thought patterns leave an imprint on your subconscious mind which can further perpetuate the cycle of negativity. In this article, you’ll learn how your negative thoughts inhibit the positive flow of Universal Consciousness,

Trading Freedom for Security Is Fair Game

How much does your job limit your freedom? Apart from freedom, what other sacrifices do you have to make for the security your job provides? In his book Skin in the Game, Nassim Taleb argues that employment is a mutually beneficial agreement in which employees are trading freedom for security to a company that, in exchange, bears some of their personal risks. In Taleb’s words, employees put their skin in the company’s game. In this article, we’ll discuss the risk-freedom trade-off made by employees, detailing the benefits employees receive from employers and the ways in which their freedom is limited.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Perfectionism Kills Creativity

Is your tendency towards perfectionism getting in the way of your ability to be creative? How does perfectionism hinder creativity? One of the greatest mental obstacles to creativity is perfectionism. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to attain perfection in the creative realm—there will always be a way someone can find your work lacking. It’s therefore pointless to strive for perfection and better just to create something imperfect and put it into the world. In this article, we’ll look at how perfectionism kills creativity and how not to let it get in the way of