The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you avoid making risky decisions in life? Are you afraid of living with regret? As it turns out, people often assume that they’ll regret making risky decisions when, in reality, they have more regret when they don’t make those decisions. What you think is the “safe option” is probably the choice that’s going to make you the least happy. Here’s why you should take risks in your life if you want to be happy.
What is the function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)? What happens when the vmPFC brain region is damaged? The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is an area of the brain which has been extensively studied with regard to value computation. Observing patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage has yielded some intriguing insights into the way the brain makes decisions. Learn about vmPFC’s role in decision-making, and what happens when it’s damaged.
Is trusting your gut ever a good idea? Under what circumstances does trusting your instincts make sense? There is indeed some truth to the “trust your gut” adage: intuitive, snap decisions are advantageous in some circumstances. But they can also lead to disaster in others. Here’s why following your instincts is a double-edged sword.
Do you feel stressed out when you have too many options to choose from? Why does limited freedom actually make you happier? People tend to think that the more choices they have, the happier they’ll be. However, an abundance of choices will actually make you unhappy because you’ll always doubt the decision you’ve made. Here’s why having too many options creates a paradox.
Are first impressions accurate? How much can you tell about a person’s character based on a first impression? They say that first impressions can be deceiving. However, although first impressions are based on a very small segment of information, they can also be incredibly accurate, even more so than “second,” “third,” or even “fourth” ones. Keep reading to learn about the power of first impressions, and why they are often more accurate than people think.
How does stress affect decision-making? How can you avoid making bad decisions in stressful situations? When you’re stressed, your brain’s ability to reason logically is impaired which can lead you to make bad decisions that you’ll likely regret when you come to your senses. However, sometimes you have no choice but to make a decision under stress. As with everything in life, making good decisions under stress takes practice. Here’s how you can practice making decisions under stress by rehearsing your responses to anticipated stressors beforehand.
What is priming? What are the different kinds of priming? In psychology, the priming effect occurs when exposure to a previous stimulus influences one’s reaction to the subsequent stimulus. Priming has been extensively researched in studies of a wide range of social and psychological phenomena, including memory, motivation, stereotyping, and prejudice. Learn about the psychology of priming.
What is implicit racial bias? How can implicit racial bias be challenged if, by definition, it “lives” in the unconscious? Implicit racial bias refers to racist beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes that people harbor without their awareness. In other words, implicit bias is unconscious. Because our unconscious minds are extremely suggestible, we can address our unconscious biases through priming. Keep reading to learn about implicit racial bias, how it’s detected, and how it can be overcome.
What is the “left brain interpreter”? How does the brain assimilate new information? The left brain interpreter is a neurophysiological concept that refers to the brain’s process of making sense of new information by relating it to existing knowledge. Although the concept was based on the studies of split-brain patients—patients who had their corpus callosum severed—it applies to neurotypical populations at large. Keep reading to learn about the left brain interpreter and its role in sense-making.
What is the Implicit Association Test (IAT)? How does the IAT measure bias? In psychology, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an assessment designed to gauge mental representations that are outside conscious control. It is supposed to measure unconscious bias by measuring how fast a person can assign descriptors to certain categories (e.g. race or gender). Learn about the Implicit Association Test, how it works, and what it’s supposed to measure.