Hannah Aster

SEO Team Lead

Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.

Expertise

Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing

The “Big Five” Personality Theory: Our Basic Traits

What is the “big five” personality theory? Are there personality traits we can change, or are they all set in stone? The “big five” personality traits are neuroticism, extroversion, openness to new experiences, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and these traits are completely out of our conscious control. However, we still control our self-narratives by changing things like our goals, beliefs, and values. Keep reading to learn more about the “big five” personality theory.

Self-Herding: Stop Repeating Your Irrational Behaviors

What does self-herding mean? How can a good first impression lead you to make irrational choices? Is it possible to un-form your self-herding habits? Self-herding is when you decide if something is good or bad depending on your past experiences, then you continue to copy that behavior until it becomes a habit. This can lead you to justify your irrational decisions. However, it is possible to recognize and change your self-herding habits. Continue on to learn more about self-herding and how to avoid it.

Multipliers and Diminishers: The Two Types of Leaders

What is the difference between a multiplier leader and a diminisher leader? What are the traits of multipliers and diminishers? According to the authors of Multipliers, there are two types of leaders: Multipliers and Diminishers. Multipliers bring the most out of their team’s abilities and they inspire and push them to do their best. Diminishers only access a small portion of their team’s abilities and prefer to rely on their own intelligence. Keep reading to learn more about Multipliers and Diminishers

The 2 Types of Habits That Can Change Your Life

What are the two types of special habits from Tiny Habits? How can you turn a negative trigger into a positive one to become happier? The two special types of habits from Tiny Habits are “Meanwhile Habits,” and “Pearl Habits.” A Meanwhile Habit is a habit you do while you’re waiting for something to happen and a Pearl Habit is something that starts as a small irritation and grows into something beautiful. Keep reading to learn more about these two types of habits.

The Elephant and the Rider: The Happiness Hypothesis

How does the metaphor of the elephant and the rider signify a divided mind? In what four ways is the mind divided? What are primal emotions? In the book The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, he uses the metaphor of a person riding an elephant to explain the human mind. However, the rider/elephant metaphor only describes the back-and-forth struggle going on within the self. There are other dimensions to this division. Keep reading to learn more about the elephant and the rider and the four divisions of the mind.

The Decoy Effect: Marketing by Distraction

What is the decoy effect? How are we manipulated into making decisions without even knowing it? How can you use the decoy effect to your advantage? The decoy effect is when you’re presented with options, including an obviously unfavorable option, to trigger a comparison that will guide you towards a certain choice. Marketing agencies, subscription services, and even real estate agents use this technique. Continue on to learn more about the decoy effect.

The Two Schools of Thought in Western Culture

What are the two schools of thought in western culture? How should we decide what is moral and what is morally acceptable? Is there such thing as universal morality? As western civilization developed, questions around morality emerged. Two schools of thought became the most prominent: deontology (Kantian ethics) and utilitarianism. Both, however, are at odds with how human psychology works. Keep reading to learn more about the two schools of thought.

Misleading Statistics: Examples of Techniques Used

What are the top five techniques used by liars to mislead the public and make statistics look better in their favor? How are these techniques used in practice? There are many techniques that anybody with an agenda can use to manipulate statistics in their favor. In How to Lie With Statistics, Darrell Huff explains how liars can fudge the numbers and he gives examples of misleading statistics so you can learn how to avoid being manipulated. Keep reading for misleading statistics examples and techniques that liars use.

Why Do We Lie? The Two Types of Dishonesty

Why do honest people lie? What are the two types of dishonesty? There are two types of dishonesty. The first type is the worst, it is the premeditated and sometimes criminal kind of lying. The second type is innocuous, the type that you’ve most likely done in everyday life like taking a pen from work. Find out why our brains are okay with little lies and where it sets the line. Continue on for more about why we lie.

Multipliers: Liz Wiseman on Leadership

What is Multipliers by Liz Wiseman about? How can Wiseman’s advice help you improve your work culture? What leadership qualities should you be avoiding? Multipliers, Liz Wiseman’s book about the two styles of leadership, has helped countless businesses improve their work cultures and raise their employees to the next level. This book teaches readers how to avoid being an Accidental Diminisher and how to make a positive and productive workplace. Keep reading to learn more about Liz Wiseman’s book Multipliers.