Shortform Books

The Fine Line Between Nationalism and Racism

What is the difference between nationalism and racism? In what ways are the two concepts linked? In his book Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson claims that nationalism and racism are two completely different concepts, although they are often discussed together. However, since the book was written, some critics claim that nationalism and racism are inherently connected. Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between nationalism and racism.

The 3.5% Rule: The Passionate Few Change the World

What is the 3.5% rule? Does it really take only 3.5% of the population to challenge the status quo? According to Nassim Taleb, the author of Skin in the Game, the state of the world is largely the result of small groups passionately fighting for what they want rather than a majority’s consensus. Indeed, history shows us that in order for your passionate few to succeed, you only need 3.5% of the population on your side. In this article, we’ll explore how the concept applies to politics, religion, language, and morality. We’ll conclude by explaining how you yourself can be

The Contrast Bias: Why We Misjudge Value

The 25 Cognitive Biases: The Contrast Bias

What is the contrast bias? How can you avoid the contrast effect when making comparisons? The contrast bias is the tendency to compare things to one another using relative factors instead of judging each object on its own merit. This is why an object will be viewed as worse than it usually would be when compared to something much better. You can manage this bias by judging each object on its own merit rather than in relative terms. Read on to learn more about the contrast bias.

Social Proof Bias: Why We Follow the Crowd

The 25 Cognitive Biases: Social Proof Bias

What is social proof bias? What is the harm in following the herd? Social proof bias is the tendency to have faith in the prevailing consensus and the belief that the majority always knows better. This tendency can be particularly dangerous during stressful situations where you may tend to make ill-thought-out decisions. Read on to learn more about the social proof bias.

The 4 Tendencies and How They Pair Up

What happens when you put members of the 4 tendencies together? Which pairs do well and which shouldn’t be in the same room? According to The Four Tendencies author Gretchen Rubin, some tendencies tend to get along better while some tend to butt heads when they’re together. While tendencies aren’t by any means an all-encompassing personality trait, you can generally tell if you’ll get along with a person based on their tendency. Here is how the 4 tendencies work together.

John Kotter: Drive Progress With Short-Term Wins

5 Steps to Practicing Empathy in the Workplace

Why is it important to celebrate short-term wins when leading change in an organization? How does reaching short-term benchmarks help employee morale? In his book Leading Change, John Kotter says that short-term wins are important because they allow employees to feel accomplished and give them something to celebrate—even if the project is far from being over. If you only set long-term goals, employees may become discouraged. Here is John Kotter’s advice for generating short-term wins.

Joseph Murphy: How to Train Your Subconscious Mind

Is it possible to influence your subconscious mind through conscious thought? What can you do to train your subconscious mind to think more positively? In his book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Joseph Murphy explains how to train your subconscious mind through conscious thought. The process to train your subconscious mind is very simple: You just need to use your conscious mind to imprint positive thoughts and images upon your subconscious mind. Murphy explains that there are two steps to making this process work for you: First, you need to decide to think positive thoughts. Then, you need to

What Is Information Asymmetry?

What is information asymmetry? What are the ethical implications of asymmetries in information? Asymmetry of information is where one party involved in a transaction has more information than the other party. According to Nassim Taleb, the author of Skin in the Game, asymmetry of information is essentially the same as asymmetry of risk. When there is a hidden imbalance of information in a transaction, the party with less knowledge incurs more risk. In this article, we’ll explain how the risk created by information asymmetry contributes to unethical transactions.

Return With the Elixir—The Hero’s Homecoming

What happens in the return with the elixir stage of the hero’s journey? Is it dangerous for the hero to return to the secular world? The return with the elixir stage of the hero’s journey is the step where the hero returns to the secular world with the divine boon in hand to be shared with his people. However, a returning hero faces the danger of losing the spark of divinity due to the banalities of ordinary human existence. This is why the mythical Aztec god-king Moctezuma never set foot on the ground to avoid being sullied by the un-sacred

Creative Challenges Are a Part of the Creative Process

What are some of the most common obstacles you encounter when creating? How do you deal with these challenges? No matter what creative pursuit you take on, there will always be attending annoyances. Developing an ability to cope with irritants and unpleasantness is as much a part of your job as a creator as actually creating. In this article, we’ll discuss how to handle the inevitable creative challenges you’ll encounter on your creative journey.