Shortform Books

Daniel Pink: The Psychology of Intrinsic Motivation

What is intrinsic motivation? How does the intrinsic drive compare to extrinsic rewards when it comes to performance? Intrinsic motivation is a desire to do something for internal satisfaction, not for external rewards. External rewards (e.g. financial compensation) enhance performance in the short term, while intrinsic motivation is more enduring—it doesn’t decay as external rewards do. In this article, we’ll look at the psychology of intrinsic motivation, and the role of intrinsic rewards in performance enhancement.

The Types of Financial Investments and How They Work

3 Major Tips From Charlie Munger on Investing

What is a financial investment? Why do people invest their hard-earned money in spite of the unpredictability of return and other risks? Investment is the sacrificing of money, goods, and services today to have more valuable money, goods, and services in the future. Because the future is unknown, investments necessarily involve risks, which must be compensated to make it worthwhile for people to undertake the investments. In this article, you’ll learn about the types of financial investments, how they work, and their associated risks.

The Key Characteristics of a Monopoly Market Structure

What are monopolies? Why are they harmful to economies? In short, a monopoly exists when a specific person or organization is the only supplier of a particular good or service. This causes a market distortion and reduces consumer welfare. Monopolies face little to no economic competition to produce goods, have few substitutes that consumers can use instead, and are able to price well above what an efficient market would otherwise produce. In this article, we’ll explain the characteristics of the monopoly market structure and discuss how monopolies are maintained.

Powerless Communication: How to Win People Over

What are the benefits of powerless communication? How can being less assertive help you win people over? In his book Give and Take, Adam Grant discusses the benefits of powerless communication. Grant explains that while trying to present or sell an idea, showing some hesitancy, vulnerability, and warmth will cause your audience to trust you and be more receptive. Here is why you should drop your aggressive approach to persuasion and adopt some humility.

How to Decide What Stocks to Buy: 3 Key Strategies

Do you want to know how to decide what stocks to buy? What are three crucial strategies you should know about? One of the most difficult decisions an investor has to make is how to decide what stocks to buy. But, with approximately 2,800 companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where does one start? Economist Burton Malkiel recommends three strategies for picking stocks: The “autopilot” strategy, the “interested-and-engaged” strategy, and the “trust-the-experts” strategy. Find out how to decide what stocks to buy below.

To Support Change, Modify Your Environment

What environments support change? How can routines and spaces be modified to make change easier? If you want to effect change, you should support change by creating an environment that smoothes the path. A change-supporting environment makes it harder to do the “old thing” and easier to do the “new thing.” Keep reading to learn how to support change by modifying your environment.

Social and Cultural Change: How to Make a Difference

What are the challenges of social and cultural change? How are real changes made? In the 1980s, most Americans didn’t know what a designated driver was. Now the practice is commonplace. Over the years, more and more people have sought to conserve water and energy. The book Switch discusses how these and other social and cultural changes happen, providing practical ways that we can effect change. Read more to learn about social and cultural change.

Adaptive Interventions in Leadership: Adapt or Fail

What are adaptive interventions? What is the best time to launch an adaptive initiative? In the context of leadership, adaptive interventions are measures put in place to address “adaptive challenges”—unexpected problems with no known solutions. You can launch an adaptive intervention at any moment of tackling the adaptive challenge, whether that’s during diagnosis or while another intervention is ongoing. In this article, you’ll learn how to develop adaptive interventions and initiatives.

An Appeal to Emotion Can Make Your Message Stick

How can you effectively communicate your idea by including an appeal to emotion? How can you get people to care about your message? If you want people to hear your message and do something about it, you have to get them to care. An appeal to emotion—making people feel something—is key to making messages stick. Keep reading to learn effective ways to make an appeal to emotion.

How to Maintain Weight Loss: Tips for Success

Do you cycle through losing and gaining weight endlessly? How can you keep the weight off for good? In his book The Hacker’s Diet, John Walker says that most people who go on diets tend to gain back all of the weight they lost and sometimes more. Walker proposed two methods for keeping weight off: daily weight tracking and meal planning. Keep reading for Walker’s advice on how to maintain weight loss.