Psychology Archives

Why Being Too Honest Isn’t a Good Thing

What are the dangers of being an “open book”—being too honest about your feelings, beliefs, and intentions? How can excessive honesty work against you? People tend to be “open books” because talking about feelings and intentions comes naturally. There are two reasons for that: 1) watching your mouth — monitoring and controlling what you say—takes effort, and 2) they believe honesty and openness will win people over. Here’s how being too honest can work against you.

The Brain on Autopilot: How It Impacts Productivity

How does the brain function on autopilot? Are there any advantages to being in autopilot mode? Productivity expert Chris Bailey explains that our brains operate on autopilot by default. Instead of choosing what to focus on in advance, we react to the external triggers that pique our interest. Keep reading to learn about the pros and cons of the brain’s autopilot mode.

How to Use Honesty as a Manipulation Technique

Can honesty be manipulative? How can you use honesty to manipulate others? One of the most effective manipulation techniques is to surprise your target with honesty or generosity. This approach disarms people by allaying suspicions and bringing out their inner child—they respond with eager, childlike gratitude. You, too, can use honesty and generosity to disarm and distract others from your schemes. Here’s how honesty can be used as a manipulation tool.

How to Know Your Enemy: Be a Spy, But Act as a Friend

Why do they say “know your enemies”? How does knowing your enemy help you get the upper hand over your opponent? Knowing your enemies is essential to wielding power. When you know your opponent’s secrets, you can predict his behavior and control him. You can enlist spies to gather intelligence for you, but it’s better to be a spy yourself. Adopt a friendly manner and you’ll get people to spill their plans and weaknesses. Here’s why and how to know your enemy.

The Psychology of Money: Quotes by Morgan Housel

Looking for quotes from The Psychology of Money? What is the secret to financial success? Most of us assume financial success depends on education and intelligence. But according to Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money, the key to financial success lies in understanding human behavior. Here’s a selection of passages highlighting some of the key ideas.

Information Chunking, Learning, and Creativity

What is information chunking? How does it relate to creativity and learning? Your brain has a tendency to chunk related bits of information together. When you understand how this process works, you can leverage it to enhance learning and stimulate creativity. Here is how information chunking works.

IQ and Success: A Complicated Connection

What is the connection between IQ and success? Are people who score high on IQ tests more likely to be successful in life? Although we tend to assume that high “analytical intelligence”—as measured by IQ tests—is a prerequisite for success, extraordinary success in life is often the result of “practical intelligence.” Moreover, external factors (nurture) are at least as important as innate ability (nature) in determining a person’s success. To explore this argument, let’s examine the origins and impacts of each type of intelligence.

How Working Memory Capacity Impacts Productivity

What is working memory? How does it affect your ability to be productive? Your brain has a certain amount of working memory capacity. You can pay attention to only so much at a time. Naturally, this limitation affects your ability to get things done. Continue reading to learn about working memory capacity and how it impacts productivity.

Need for Recognition: Why We Can’t Stand Being Alone

Where does the human need for recognition stem from? What can biology and psychology tell us about the hunger for social recognition? The desire you have to get more likes on social media or be popular in school can be explained by science. From childhood, humans need physical and social contact to survive and become functional. Eric Berne explores this phenomenon in his book Games People Play. Here’s why social recognition is vital to our well-being, according to Berne.

The Three Ego States in Transactional Analysis

What are the three ego states in transactional analysis? What is the function of each state? The three ego states, according to Eric Berne’s theory of personality, are the parent, the adult, and the child. None of the ego states are “bad,” per se, but they each have their own function in social situations. Continue below to learn about Berne’s ego states.