Hannah Aster, Author at Shortform Books

Public Decision-Making: When Choices Are Harder

Why do we make irrational choices when we have to make a decision in public? How can we counter the urge to make unique choices? Studies show that when we have to make decisions aloud, we tend to choose things we don’t actually want in order to maintain our independence and end up dissatisfied. There are some steps we can take towards making more satisfying choices. Continue reading to learn how to make more satisfying choices when forced into public decision-making.

Core Virtues: Cultivate the Best Version of Your Self

What is the most useful way to think about core virtues? Why does cultivating your virtues lead to a satisfying life? Cultivating your core virtues is about fulfilling your potential and working on self-improvement. Everybody’s virtues are different but the key to satisfaction in life is to strive towards achieving a set of positive attributes. Keep reading to learn why strengthening your core virtues will bring you satisfaction.

How to Get Accurate Statistics: Good Sampling

How can you get accurate statics if you can’t possibly count every entity of a population? What criteria make a good sample? It is true that the only way to get a 100% accurate sample is to count every single entity, but that’s just impossible. That’s why statisticians use samples to represent a population. There are certain criteria that must be met to ensure that your sample is as accurate as possible. Keep reading to learn more about how good sampling leads to accurate statistics.

Marketing Freebies: Don’t Fall Into the Trap

Why are marketing freebies so dangerous? Why will we almost always choose “free” even if there’s a more logical option? We are psychologically attracted to anything that’s free, that’s why marketing freebies are such powerful tools. Even attaching the concept of “free” to a purchase can trigger you to irrationally spend more money on whatever it is. Keep reading to learn more about the power of marketing freebies.

Tiny Habits Celebrations Are Fundamental for Change

Why is celebrating small successes so important? Why is it more important to feel successful than it is to actually be successful? In the book Tiny Habits, celebrations are a huge part of making a behavior change. If you’re a Habiteer or even just somebody trying to make a positive change in your life, then don’t downplay the importance of celebrating your tiny successes. Keep reading to learn why Tiny Habit celebrations are so important.

The Key to Finding Meaning in Life: Meaningful Work

How can we find more meaning in life? Why is performing meaningful work so important to our happiness? We all focus on finding meaning in life, but in order to do that, we need to understand human beings. Humans need to engage in pursuits and work that fill our lives with purpose and meaning. And the most satisfying and meaningful work is that which people find intrinsically rewarding. Continue reading for more information on the pursuit of meaning.

Bowlby Attachment Theory + Other Styles

What was John Bowlby’s attachment theory? How did Mary Ainsworth further Bowlby’s research? The Bowlby attachment theory states that children need two things: safety and exploration. And when a child feels unsafe, they will reach out for their parent. Ainsworth took the theory even further and came up with the three different attachment styles. Keep reading to learn more about Bowlby’s attachment theory.

Manipulated Graphs: Don’t Be Fooled by Their Tricks

How can people manipulate graphs to change how you perceive them? What are the six most common forms of image manipulation? It is possible for someone with an agenda to manipulate an image (whether that be a graph, a map, or a photo) to control the message you take away from them. You’d be surprised how often this happens in business and advertising. Keep reading to learn how manipulated graphs can support an agenda.

Norms of Society: It All Depends on the Situation

What are the two main norms of society? Why is it damaging to introduce market norms in a friendship? How is it beneficial to introduce social norms in the workplace? There are two main norms of society: social norms and market norms. Social norms are requests made by friends or family, and market norms are transactional obligations. Mixing the two societal norms can have unexpected outcomes. Keep reading for more information about the norms of society.

The Emotional Range: Why Some People Feel Happier

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to get much happier or much more down than others? Do all people feel emotions the same way? How can we work to stay on the happy end of the emotional range? A person’s emotional range is called their affective style. This means that some people have a genetic predisposition toward happiness or sadness and feel different ranges of emotion. When somebody’s emotions tend to fall on the negative side of the range, there are measures they can take to counter them. Keep reading about the emotional range and how to counter