The World's Best Book Summaries
Is it better to limit or expand your options when making decisions? What are the dangers of binary decision-making? When it comes to decision-making, we tend to come up with only two options. Thinking in binary terms may be less cognitively taxing, but it limits your options and clouds your judgment. Here are some strategies for overcoming binary decision-making.
How can reading help you fight your way out of depression? What are some of the best books for depression that can help you get out of a slump? When you’re depressed, reading books may be the last thing on your mind. But reading can have a substantial impact on your emotional health by exposing you to new ways of thinking and healing opportunities available to you. Below is our roundup of the best books for depression to help you heal and cultivate a positive outlook.
How did Gregor Mendel contribute to the field of genetics? What foundational principles of heredity did Mendel discover? Long before the discovery of DNA, biologist and Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel discovered how genes get passed down from parents to offspring. His discovery was one of the major breakthroughs in genetics (although that word didn’t exist yet), laying the foundation for the study of heredity. Keep reading to learn about Gregor Mendel’s discovery.
Do you plan your week in advance, or do you prefer to go with the flow? What’s the best way to schedule your week? When planning ahead, most people prioritize work, not play. If you want to make the most of your week, you should reverse this approach and plan your week around your leisure time, not your work. Here’s how to schedule your week for maximum happiness.
Is it a good idea to expand your options when making important decisions? What’s the ideal number of options for a decision? We can significantly improve our decisions by coming up with more options. Doing so guarantees that you have at least two backup options. However, having too many options overwhelms you. It’s best to aim for three to four strong, distinct options. With this in mind, here’s how to make better decisions by widening your pool of options.
How did Darwin’s theory affect science and society? How did Darwin’s ideas shape our understanding of evolution and genetics? Charles Darwin’s natural selection theory paved the way for many subsequent theories and discoveries that make up the bedrock of our current understanding of human evolution. However, while Darwin accurately explained the results of evolution, he wasn’t able to figure out how it worked. Here’s how Darwin’s ideas shaped our understanding of genetics.
Do you tend to procrastinate until the last minute? How can you prevent procrastination before it takes hold of your mind? The longer you procrastinate on an unpleasant or difficult task, the harder it is to get yourself to do it. That’s why it’s important to counteract procrastination before it has a chance to get started. Here’s how to prevent procrastination before it’s too late.
How does overconfidence affect decision-making? What are some ways to mitigate hubris in your decision-making? Our hubris—or overconfidence in decision-making—makes us feel certain in our predictions about a decision’s outcome. If the outcome is different than we predicted, we’re left surprised and unprepared to deal with it. We can overcome our hubris by: 1) accepting that we can’t predict the future, and 2) preparing for a range of possible outcomes. Here are some strategies for overcoming decision-making hubris.
What is Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene: An Intimate History about? What have we learned about genetics? The book The Gene: An Intimate History explores scientists’ efforts to learn about people by studying the genes that create us. The book traces the history of genetics from Darwin’s Origin of Species to modern gene sequencing technology, as well as taking a brief look at what genetic engineering might mean for humanity’s future. Here’s a brief overview of The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Do you always have a plan B? Why is it important to plan for the worst and hope for the best, as the popular adage goes? Most of us tend to underestimate the likelihood of the worst-case scenario, thinking that the chances of it coming to pass are slim to none. As a result, we fail to make contingency plans, and if the worst does come to pass, panic ensues because we’re not prepared to face it. Here’s why you should always plan for the worst-case scenario, no matter how unlikely it seems.