Psychology
Judge the Bet, Not the Result: A Poker Pro's Rules for Deciding When You Can't See the Cards
The 'worst call in Super Bowl history' may have been a sound decision. Annie Duke's Thinking in Bets on why we judge choices by outcomes, and the tools that keep your decisions honest.
You'll Survive the Change You Fear. That's Also Why Your Life Stopped Sparkling
We bounce back from big changes faster than we expect, and that same speed quietly dulls what we keep. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot on why we change too little and how to make life sparkle again.
Memory Series, Part 3: You're Built to Forget Most of Your Life. A Memory Scientist on How to Keep What Matters
Most of your life will be forgotten, and that's by design. Memory scientist Charan Ranganath explains why your phone splits your memories, how curiosity makes things stick, and which habits really protect memory.
Whoever Frames the Room Wins: Chase Hughes's Persuasion Playbook, Every Tactic Explained and Fact-Checked
Most persuasion is over before anyone argues. Chase Hughes's full playbook from The Diary Of A CEO, from framing and identity hacks to micro-compliance and courtroom tricks: how each works, how to spot it, and what the evidence says.
You Can Learn to Wake Up Inside Your Dreams. The Pill Works, but the Free Method Is Better
More than half of us have known we were dreaming while still asleep. Scientists can now spot it in the brain, and a pill can triple the odds. But the method with the best evidence costs nothing.
Never Open With a Joke, Never End With "Thank You": MIT's Legendary Rules for Speaking
Your first sentence is probably a joke. Your last is probably "thank you." MIT's Patrick Winston says both are mistakes, and his fixes have drawn more than 23 million views.
Your Brain Overrates Your Future. Don't Fight It, Budget for It (Tali Sharot's Playbook)
Your plans run late and your budgets run over, because your brain filters out bad news. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot's fix isn't gloom. It's a buffer, plus a few rules for persuading others.
Memory Series, Part 2: There's No Such Thing as a Bad Memory (Jim Kwik's Case, and Where It Falls Apart)
Memory Series, Part 2. A teacher called him "the boy with the broken brain." Now Jim Kwik tells Steven Bartlett memory, focus and motivation are things you do, not traits you own. His learning habits hold up. His speed-reading promises and brain types don't.
Man's Search for Meaning in 5 Minutes: Viktor Frankl on the One Freedom No One Can Take
Frankl lost his parents, brother and wife to the Nazi camps, then wrote a short book on what keeps people going. His answer: you can't always choose what happens, but you can choose how you answer. The core ideas, plus what history and research say.
You're Not Shy. You've Just Practiced It for Years: A Speaking Coach's Way Out
Shyness feels like who you are. Speaking coach Vinh Giang says it's a habit you've rehearsed for decades, and habits can be retrained. His method starts with one uncomfortable five-minute video. What works, and what needs caveats.
The Marshmallow Test Was Never About Willpower. One Professor Says It Measured Trust.
The kid who grabs the marshmallow isn't weak. He may be reading his world correctly. Jiang Xueqin argues self-control, grit and growth mindset follow from a stable childhood, and that blocked ladders spark revolutions. What holds up, and what overreaches.
Expect the Gold to Get the Silver: A Neuroscientist on Why Optimism Pays
Most of us expect a better future than the evidence suggests. Neuroscientist Tali Sharot says that bias is mostly useful: it fuels effort and happiness. Stress shrinks it; a plan and a sense of control bring it back. What holds up, and what needs caveats.