Darya Sinusoid

Darya’s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain/mind/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.

Humility in Leadership: Know When to Let Others Lead

What is the importance of humility in leadership? How do you strike a balance between trust in others and self-reliance? Being a leader doesn’t always mean telling people what to do—often, other team members are better equipped than you to make the right decisions. However, if you’re too reliant on others and lack confidence in your leadership, you may end up following others’ lead in situations where you know better. Here’s how to strike a balance between trust in others and confidence in your ideas.

How to Give Constructive Feedback: Be Positive

What is the key to giving effective constructive feedback? Should you emphasize positive or negative aspects of someone’s performance when delivering feedback? According to Rolf Dobelli, the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly, people better accept and implement feedback that is framed in a positive than a negative way. This is because of the psychological phenomenon called the feature-positive effect. Here’s how to give constructive feedback, according to Rolf Dobelli.

Common Decision-Making Biases & How to Spot Them

Are your decisions rooted in rationality? What are some of the most common biases in decision-making? You probably think of yourself as a rational and logical human being who makes decisions based on logic and sensibility. However, your decision-making may not be as logical as you’d like to believe. Logical fallacies affect everyone, are extremely difficult to avoid, and can hinder your decision-making ability. Keep reading to learn about some of the most common decision-making biases, how to recognize them, and how to work around them.

Incentives: The Psychology of Motivation

How do incentives change behavior? What is the danger in offering incentives to encourage better performance? Incentives inspire hard work and better cooperation. But there is also a dark side to incentivizing the desired behavior: People will perform the behavior, but they’ll strive for those incentives however suits them best, even if their actions contradict the principle behind the incentive. Keep reading to learn about the psychology of incentive manipulation and how to set effective incentives.

Is 10,000 Hours of Practice Enough to Master a Skill?

Can practice override talent? Is it true that to master a skill, you need to put in 10,000 hours of practice? Although we tend to think of practice as an equalizer, having the time to practice enough to master a skill is a luxury afforded only to the privileged. In fact, there are studies that show that the most masterful individuals in their fields have practiced their craft for at least 10,000 hours, which averages nearly 20 hours every week for 10 years. Here’s why practice is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to skill mastery.

The Cornerstone of Good Leadership Is Sacrifice

Have you ever had to sacrifice something (or someone) for the sake of the greater, common goal? Why is sacrifice important in leadership? A leader must inevitably make decisions that put individual team members in harm’s way for the sake of the mission. According to Willink and Babin, the authors of The Dichotomy of Leadership, sacrifice is integral to the idea of what it means to be a leader. It’s why many people see leadership as a burden—many leaders struggle with a guilty conscience over the decisions they have to make. We’ll describe two specific instances of sacrifice in leadership:

Omission Bias: Why Your Brain Favors Inaction

What is omission bias? Why does it occur? Omission bias is the tendency to choose omission (inaction) over commission (action). Omission bias occurs because you feel guilty when your action leads to negative consequences, and less guilty when inaction leads to negative consequences. Keep reading to learn about the psychology behind omission bias and why your brain tends to favor inaction over action.

Inattentional Blindness: What It Is & How to Overcome It

What is inattentional blindness? Why does this effect occur? Inattentional blindness is a tendency to zone in on certain aspects of a situation and disregard the rest. Inattentional blindness is the result of the brain’s limited cognitive capacity: it simply doesn’t have the resources to process everything. Keep reading to learn about the phenomenon of intentional blindness, why it occurs, and how to combat it.

Are We Living in the Age of False Knowledge?

Are we living in the age of false knowledge? How did the advent of the internet contribute to the spread of false knowledge? In the internet age, false knowledge is spreading like wildfire. People consider themselves experts because they have easy access to information, but they never gain a deeper understanding of it. Here’s how the advent of the internet has given rise to the age of false knowledge.

Information Overload: What It Is & Why It’s Problematic

What is information overload? What’s the problem with having too much information? The dangers of information overload have grown increasingly severe in the modern world because there’s so much information available. According to Rold Dobelli, the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly, excess information causes problems in two ways: burying basic facts and wasting time. Keep reading to learn about the dangers of information overload.