Self-Improvement Archives

Hyperbolic Discounting Bias: What It Is & How to Avoid It

What is hyperbolic discounting bias? Why is the brain so prone to seeking immediate gratification? Hyperbolic discounting bias is the tendency to crave immediate gratification and the willingness to sacrifice an unreasonable amount of money, time, or effort for that immediacy. According to Rolf Dobelli, the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly, humans are hardwired to opt for immediate reward (in the past, it helped us survive), but more often than not, it inspires bad decisions, like paying a high amount to get something quicker. Keep reading to learn about hyperbolic discounting bias, why it happens, and how to

What Is Interleaving? A Way to Learn More, Faster

What is interleaving? How can it help you learn? Introducing variety into your studies helps you leverage your brain’s information storage processes. Interleaving is an effective way to diversify your studies. It’s basically using an assortment of problem-solving techniques rather than sticking with the same one all of the time. Keep reading to learn more about interleaving and how it can boost your learning.

Rolf Dobelli: The Art of Thinking Clearly—Overview

What is Rolf Dobelli’s The Art of Thinking Clearly about? What logical fallacies does Dobelli explore in the book? The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli is an introduction to the most common logical biases and thinking errors. Logical fallacies affect everyone and are extremely difficult to avoid. Rolf Dobelli encourages readers to improve their decisions by learning how to recognize the fallacies and how to work around them. Below is a brief overview of the key themes.

Heuristic Psychology: Cognitive Errors & Biases

What are cognitive errors? Why does the brain make these errors, and how can you override them? Humans have evolved to pay attention to the most memorable or flashy information that comes up, rather than the most pertinent or helpful. The more conspicuous and repeated a piece of information is, the more you’ll believe it. Although it saves the brain’s resources (it takes less time and energy to accept the flashiest information), it results in cognitive errors—faulty ways of thinking that are often inaccurate and/or irrational. Here are some of the most common cognitive errors that result from the brain’s

The Dalai Lama’s Advice: 5 Steps to Happiness

What are the main teachings of the Dalai Lama? What advice does he profess? In his book The Art of Happiness (co-authored with psychiatrist Howard C. Cutler), His Holiness the Dalai Lama walks you down the Buddhist path towards happiness. The Dalai Lama’s advice for achieving happiness is unique in its simplicity and flexibility: learn where your emotions come from and make the effort to change. We’ll discuss several strategies to make that effort.

How to Develop a Positive Mindset

How to Develop a Positive Sales Attitude

Is your mind overwhelmed with negativity? Why do people tend to focus more on the negative and take the positive for granted? Research shows that negative events have a greater impact on you than positive ones—your emotional responses are stronger for negative events than they are for positive ones. But that doesn’t mean that you must give in to all this negativity—you can develop a positive mindset if you’re motivated enough to rid yourself of the negativity. Keep reading to learn how to motivate yourself to change your thinking and rewire your mind for more positivity.

The Reason for Unhappiness & How to Overcome It

What is the root cause of human unhappiness? Why do so many people feel unhappy despite having everything they need? According to Dalai Lama, the root cause of human unhappiness stems from misunderstanding—many people don’t really understand where their emotions—both positive and negative—stem from. The solution, he counsels, is to educate yourself both about your emotions and the circumstances that give rise to them. Here is what Dalai Lama has to say about the main reason for unhappiness and what to do about it.

The 37% Rule: How to Know When to Settle

What is the 37% rule? How can employing the 37% rule help you make better decisions? The 37% rule is designed to solve something mathematicians call an “optimal stopping problem”—something we often encounter in daily life when faced with a series of options. The 37% can help you settle down and commit to the opportunity in front of you if you don’t know what opportunities will be available in the future. Here is how the 37% rule settle on a decision and signal when to stop searching for something better.

Make Better Decisions With Computer Algorithms

Three Keys to Making Better Decisions in Life

Why is it so difficult to make decisions? Do you often regret your decisions, thinking you should have known better? Decision-making is a cognitively taxing process, especially when the future is uncertain and the stakes are high. But it doesn’t have to be this way. According to Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths, humans already have all the tools to make smart decisions. In their book Algorithms to Live By, they explain how to make better decisions using computer algorithms. Let’s take a look at four algorithms intended to help you make better decisions.

Listening to Customers Increases Sales: Here’s How

How important is listening in the sales process? How might you become a better listener? According to The Sales Bible, listening to customers is probably the most important part of sales. However, many salespeople don’t understand this. Most people are actually pretty poor listeners. Author Jeffrey Gitomer offers three tips to help you become better at listening. Read more for insights on listening to customers.