Darya Sinusoid, Author at Shortform Books

Reading Food Labels: Look Out for These 3 Things

Why is reading food labels important? What ingredients should you avoid and why? Reading food labels can help you make informed food choices by avoiding ingredients that may be damaging to your health. One simple rule of thumb to follow is to stay away from foods that contain unpronounceable ingredients, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and paradoxically enough, the health claims. Here are some things you should be looking out for when reading food labels.

Behavior Momentum: How to Get in “the Zone”

What is behavior momentum? What role does momentum play in habit formation? Behavior momentum is a psychological metaphor based on the concept of momentum in physics. When you start practicing a new behavior, the progress is slow and the resistance is high. But when momentum kicks in, the new behavior becomes your second nature and it becomes easy to keep moving. Here is how you can put behavior momentum to work for you to help you establish and stick to new habits.

Shame Psychology: It’s All About Feeling Judged

What do we know of the psychology of shame? What do people tend to be ashamed of? Do you think shameful feelings are grounded in reality or are they purely subjective? Although shame is a subjective emotion, the psychology of shame has more to do with other people than with ourselves because shame stems from the fear of judgment. Most people tend to harbor shameful feelings about things that wouldn’t be deemed scandalous by others. That said, there are also some things that would be deemed shameful by society in general. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at

How to Cultivate Mindfulness in Your Everyday Life

What exactly is mindfulness? Can you cultivate mindfulness without meditating? Mindfulness is a state of mind in which you are fully aware and engaged with the present moment. While meditation is the most direct way to enter this state, there are other ways to cultivate mindfulness. Here are some other things you can do to cultivate mindfulness without meditating.

Creativity in Children: Can It Be Cultivated?

Is there a way to cultivate creativity in children? What can you, as a parent, do to encourage creative expression in your child? Creativity isn’t locked on genetics—it can be cultivated through upbringing. According to organizational psychologist Adam Grant, the key to cultivating creativity in children is not to impose too many rules and to explain the rationale behind the rules that are set. Keep reading to learn about the psychology behind creativity in children.

Positional Leadership: You Have to Start Somewhere

What is positional leadership? What privileges are associated with the positional leadership level? A position is the starting point of leadership, not the destination. Positional leadership merely gives you a job title but no real power, other than the authority to lead—people only follow you because they have to. Keep reading to learn about positional leadership, its pros and cons, and how you can move up the leadership ladder towards leadership Level 2.

The Heidi/Howard Study: Success vs. Likeability

What is the Heidi/Howard study? What do the findings say about the gender double standard in modern workplaces? The 2003 “Heidi/Howard” study tested perceptions of women and men in the workforce. The study demonstrates the difference between likeability and success for men and women. The more successful a man is, the greater his likeability. The more successful a woman is, the worse her likeability. Keep reading to learn about the Heidi/Howard study and its implications for women’s achievement.

Diet-Related Diseases: The Culprit of the New World

What are the top four diet-related diseases? Is the damage done by the modern diet reversible? Americans suffer from a wide range of killer diet-related diseases, the main ones being obesity, cancer, type-II diabetes, and heart disease. However, this hasn’t always been the case; before the second world war, the rates of dietary diseases were low. Read about the rise of diet-related diseases.

Habit Change: Mindfulness Is Better Than Autopilot

Why is habit change so difficult? Why do most people fail when they try to replace their old, self-defeating habits with new, positive habits? Habit change is hard. With some habits, it may even seem impossible. This is because many bad habits are involuntary—they were created unconsciously. So, changing them requires awareness, conscious effort, and intentionality. Read about the psychology of habit change.

Public Shaming: Effective But Unacceptable

Do you think public shaming is an effective form of punishment? What are the potential consequences of public shaming for the victimized? Although the methods have changed, public humiliation is still used as a way to inflict punishment for contemptuous behavior, and for a reason—it works. However, public shaming can have serious consequences for the victim because people who’ve been publicly shamed may lose their friends, family, and career, potentially forever. Keep reading to learn about public shaming, its history, and the consequences for the victimized.