Psychology Archives

WRAP Decision-Making: Make Smarter Choices

What is the WRAP framework? What are the four steps in Chip and Dan Heath’s WRAP decision-making process? In their book Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath organize the four steps of their decision-making process into a mnemonic called “WRAP.” Each letter in the acronym stands for a step in their process: Widen Your Options, Reality-Test Your Assumptions, Attain Distance Before Deciding, and Prepare to be Wrong. Let’s examine the four steps of the WRAP decision-making process, including specific strategies for implementing each step.

3 Ways to Feel Better About Yourself, Based on Psychology

What are some proven ways to feel better about yourself? Which ways do psychologists recommend? In his book, Learned Optimism, Martin Seligman suggests three ways to feel better about yourself by focusing on others. Seligman says that, by focusing your attention outward, you can feel better about yourself on the inside. Read on to learn Seligman’s three actionable ways to feel better about yourself.

Environment and Genetics: Understanding the Connection

What roles do genes play in behavior? Is your personality largely the product of your genes or your environment? Our genes contain the blueprints for our bodies. Therefore, in a very real sense, our genes determine who we are. Each of us has crucial elements of who we’ll become encoded in our DNA. However, genes only tell a small part of the story because your environment can influence how genes are expressed. Keep reading to learn about the interplay between environment and genetics.

Fear of Success: The Psychology of Self-Sabotage

Is the fear of success a thing? How does fear of success cause people to self-sabotage? The possibility of achieving significant success triggers irrational fear in many people. As they experience greater success and joy, they begin to unconsciously self-sabotage to bring themselves back to a level that they are used to. Keep reading to learn about the psychology of the fear of success.

Dan and Chip Heath: Decisive (Book Overview)

What is Dan and Chip Heath’s Decisive about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In their book Decisive, Dan and Chip Heath present a decision-making process we can use for big decisions across any area of our lives. They wrote this book because they noticed there’s ample research on how flawed our decisions are but little advice on how to make better choices. Below is a brief overview of Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Dan and Chip Heath.

How to Overcome Depression Without Medication

Want to learn how to overcome depression without medication? What methods do psychologists recommend for treating mild depression? Martin Seligman’s work in psychology has unearthed new findings about potential causes of depression, linking it to learned helplessness. Seligman says, if you’ve learned helplessness, you can also unlearn it to become mentally healthier and more confident. Read on to learn why following Seligman’s advice could be a way to overcome depression without medication.

Debunking the Myth: Procrastination Is Not Laziness

Does procrastination result from laziness? What is the real reason we tend to procrastinate on important tasks? Traditionally, we tend to think that procrastination results from laziness. In this view, procrastination in itself is the fundamental problem: It results from a failure of motivation or willpower, and the solution is to try harder and be more disciplined. This is simply not true. Here’s why procrastination is not laziness, according to Neil Fiore.

Unraveling Common Biases in Decision-Making

Three Keys to Making Better Decisions in Life

Why do we make bad decisions? What are some ways you can mitigate biases in decision-making? Life is full of big decisions, but hard-to-detect flaws in our thinking often prevent us from making good choices. According to Dan and Chip Heath, we can make better decisions if we follow a process that pushes us to overcome our decision-making biases and illogical ways of thinking. Let’s examine how illogical ways of thinking weaken our decision-making.

How to Stop Being Pessimistic: Try Flexible Optimism

Want to know how to stop being pessimistic? How do pessimists and optimists think differently? How can you change your thought patterns? To learn how to stop being pessimistic, Martin Seligman suggests embracing flexible optimism. Becoming a flexible optimist means you can learn to be an optimist while balancing it with your natural pessimism, according to Seligman. Read on to learn Seligman’s practical advice for how to stop being pessimistic.

How to Overcome the Status Quo Bias in Decision-Making

Why are people inclined to make decisions that perpetuate their status quo? What are some ways to mitigate the status quo bias in decision-making? When it’s time to finally make a choice, our bias toward the status quo kicks in and weakens our judgment. According to Chip and Dan Heath, tough decisions elicit intense emotions. These emotions cause us to seek relief in what’s familiar. Thus, we make decisions that resist change, even if change is what we need. Here’s how to push against the status quo bias in decision-making.