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.

How to Make Better Decisions: Consider More Options

Is it a good idea to expand your options when making important decisions? What’s the ideal number of options for a decision? We can significantly improve our decisions by coming up with more options. Doing so guarantees that you have at least two backup options. However, having too many options overwhelms you. It’s best to aim for three to four strong, distinct options. With this in mind, here’s how to make better decisions by widening your pool of options.

Natural Selection: Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

How did Darwin’s theory affect science and society? How did Darwin’s ideas shape our understanding of evolution and genetics? Charles Darwin’s natural selection theory paved the way for many subsequent theories and discoveries that make up the bedrock of our current understanding of human evolution. However, while Darwin accurately explained the results of evolution, he wasn’t able to figure out how it worked. Here’s how Darwin’s ideas shaped our understanding of genetics.

How to Prevent Procrastination: 2 Failproof Strategies

Do you tend to procrastinate until the last minute? How can you prevent procrastination before it takes hold of your mind? The longer you procrastinate on an unpleasant or difficult task, the harder it is to get yourself to do it. That’s why it’s important to counteract procrastination before it has a chance to get started. Here’s how to prevent procrastination before it’s too late.

The Dangers of Overconfidence in Decision-Making

How does overconfidence affect decision-making? What are some ways to mitigate hubris in your decision-making? Our hubris—or overconfidence in decision-making—makes us feel certain in our predictions about a decision’s outcome. If the outcome is different than we predicted, we’re left surprised and unprepared to deal with it. We can overcome our hubris by: 1) accepting that we can’t predict the future, and 2) preparing for a range of possible outcomes. Here are some strategies for overcoming decision-making hubris.

The Gene: An Intimate History (Book Overview)

What is Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene: An Intimate History about? What have we learned about genetics? The book The Gene: An Intimate History explores scientists’ efforts to learn about people by studying the genes that create us. The book traces the history of genetics from Darwin’s Origin of Species to modern gene sequencing technology, as well as taking a brief look at what genetic engineering might mean for humanity’s future. Here’s a brief overview of The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best: The Power of Plan B

Why Having No Hope for the Future Causes Depression

Do you always have a plan B? Why is it important to plan for the worst and hope for the best, as the popular adage goes? Most of us tend to underestimate the likelihood of the worst-case scenario, thinking that the chances of it coming to pass are slim to none. As a result, we fail to make contingency plans, and if the worst does come to pass, panic ensues because we’re not prepared to face it. Here’s why you should always plan for the worst-case scenario, no matter how unlikely it seems.

How to Stimulate Creative Decision-Making

What is the most effective way to stimulate the creative process? How does introducing constraints help you come up with more creative ideas? You’d think that the best way to come up with a creative solution is to brainstorm as many options as you can. While the brainstorming strategy is good, it may not always be viable. In some cases, the problem is having too many options with none being appealing. If that’s the case, try eliminating options. Here’s how eliminating options can help stimulate creative-decision making.

The Truth About Northern Abolitionists

What role did the North play in the abolition of slavery? Were all Northern states against slavery? According to Nikole Hannah-Jones, an American investigative journalist and the author of The 1619 Project, the mainstream story about Northern states spearheading the abolition of slavery is historically inaccurate. The North was not actually abolitionist because Northerners also owned slaves and participated in the slave trade at the time. Here’s what history textbooks don’t tell us about Northern abolitionists.

The Role of Slavery in the American Revolution

What was the Revolutionary War, and why did it happen? What role did slavery play in the American Revolution? According to American investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, the main driver of the American Revolution was not the righteous intentions of the abolitionists in the North. In her book The 1619 Project, she argues that (1) the Revolutionary War was not truly fought in the name of freedom and justice; (2) the North wasn’t as righteous as it’s given credit for; and (3) Black Americans were the ones to truly create and establish American democracy. Keep reading to learn about the role

Nikole Hannah Jones: Quotes From The 1619 Project

Are you looking for Nikole Hannah Jones’s quotes from The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? Nikole Hannah-Jones is an award-winning investigative journalist and staff writer for the New York Times who specializes in racial injustice. In The 1619 Project, she argues that American democracy and the prosperous nation we know today were largely built by enslaved Black Americans. Below is a selection of The 1619 Project quotes with explanations.