Psychology Archives

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: How It Impacts Self-Discipline

What’s the Dunning-Kruger effect? How can it affect your capacity for self-discipline? The Dunning-Kruger effect is a biological tendency that distorts our self-perception, particularly about our ability in a skill. Daniel Walter discusses it in the context of self-discipline. He explains what it is, how it affects our ability to self-discipline, and how to overcome it. Keep reading for an overview of the Dunning-Kruger effect, particularly as it relates to self-discipline.

Mistakes Were Made: Book Overview & Takeaways

What is the book Mistakes Were Made about? What are the main takeaways of the book? In Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson argue that we self-justify to relieve cognitive dissonance. This is the discomfort triggered when we do things that don’t align with other beliefs, actions, and values. Read below for a brief overview of the Mistakes Were Made book.

Thinking Habits: How Thoughts Become Hardwired

What are thinking habits? How do thoughts become habitual? Just like physical habits, we can develop thinking habits. When you think the same thought over and over again, it literally becomes hardwired into your brain thanks to neuroplasticity⁠—the brain’s capacity to change in response to stimuli. Here’s how thinking habits form, according to Joe Dispenza.

How to Overcome Social Anxiety Fast: Just Say Yes

Do you have social anxiety? How do you face your fears of being the center of attention? Being seen and heard in public could be terrifying for some people. For Shonda Rhimes, writer of Year of Yes, she had to work hard to overcome her social anxiety to become the acclaimed writer she is now. Check out how to overcome social anxiety fast with Rhimes’s advice.

The Habit of Procrastination: An Enemy of Self-Discipline

Do you have a tendency to put things off when they need to be done? Has this become a habit for you? Humans struggle with self-discipline. As a result, we fail to reach our goals. One culprit is the biological tendency to procrastinate. When the tendency becomes a habit, we dig the hole even deeper. But, Daniel Walter offers two practical suggestions for climbing out of this hole. Read more to learn about how the habit of procrastination works against you and your ability to self-discipline—and how to fight back against this force.

How to Listen to Your Body for Improved Cognition

What does it mean to listen to your body? How does listening to your body improve your cognitive skills? According to Annie Murphy Paul’s book The Extended Mind, actively engaging with your body means learning how to listen to your body’s subconscious knowledge. Paul argues that listening to your body unlocks a more expansive way of thinking. Read on to learn how to listen to your body to improve your cognitive skills, according to Paul.

How Myths Are Created & Used: Roland Barthes on Mythmaking

Is there a myth behind children’s toys? What symbolic meaning does the Jeep brand carry? According to Roland Barthes, myths occur when society’s dominant institutions imbue an image, object, or phrase with meaning. Because myths are used to shape society, he believes it’s important to understand how myths are created and how they function. Keep reading for Barthes’s ideas on mythmaking.

3 Ways to Reduce Cognitive Dissonance (+ Why It Happens)

What is cognitive dissonance? What are the most common ways to reduce cognitive dissonance? In Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson explain that cognitive dissonance is a psychological state of having inconsistent thoughts and attitudes. This state is often uncomfortable for people, so they try to seek out ways to reduce cognitive dissonance. Let’s look at how people seek comforting thoughts through three psychological processes.

What Is the Advice Monster? Michael Stanier Explains

What is the “advice monster?” What’s the problem with advice-giving? How can you tame your advice monster? According to author Michael Bungay Stanier, advice-giving is a widespread habit that many people find difficult to break—a habit he personifies as your “advice monster.” He claims that subduing the compulsion to give advice (i.e. taming your advice monster) is not an easy change to make. Read on to learn more about Stanier’s advice monster and how to break advice-giving habits.

Impossible Expectations & the Planning Fallacy: How to Get Real

How well do you predict what it will take to reach your goals? Do you give up when you fail to make the progress you expect to make? When we set goals, we also tend to set impossible expectations about reaching them. Then we get discouraged when we don’t hit certain benchmarks along the way. The tendency toward unrealistic expectations connects to a cognitive bias called the planning fallacy. Read more to learn about setting impossible expectations and the planning fallacy.