Category: Psychology


  • Gotcha Jerks Part II

    If you have not read Gotcha Jerks, then please do first. I recently ran across The “Other Side” Is Not Dumb which goes further. Here is my favorite quote from it. Sharing links that mock a caricature of the Other Side isn’t signaling that we’re somehow more informed. It signals that we’d rather be smug…

  • I ran across a friend’s Facebook post about parenting and related a description of a college psychology professor’s eugenics lecture. The reply was that eliminating the genes of less intelligent people seems like it could help improve society. This seeming promise is why it has been tried many times. Before the Holocaust shifted to genocide, it…

  • Zittrain’s set of tweets was interesting reading. 23/ There's more beyond "like" and "share" to help people looking more for information than fun help examine their own assumptions. — Jonathan Zittrain (@zittrain) November 15, 2016 Lots more on it: best, 1, 2, 3. There is an interesting plug-in called Media Bias/Fact Check which will help show…

  • I will try not to spoil Westworld but no guarantees. So the premise of the show and movies is there is a park with androids who become dangerous. Part of the fun is determining whether this is because of an accident, systemic problems, or sabotage. Essentially this is the kind of story that motivated Isaac Asimov…

  • Social Currency

    This is from Douglas Rushkoff who is known for his infecting marketing with the idea of viral marketing. Observe yourself the next time you’re listening to a joke. You may start by listening to the joke for the humor – because you really want the belly laugh at the end. But chances are, a few…

  • Defensive pessimism

    … a strategy used by anxious people to help them manage their anxiety so they can work productively. Defensive pessimists lower their expectations to help prepare themselves for the worst. Then, they mentally play through all the bad things that might happen. Though it sounds as if it might be depressing, defensive pessimism actually helps anxious…

  • Creature of Habit

    I can be pretty scatterbrained. Time has a way of whizzing past when engaged in some activity. Creating and adhering to a schedule makes being where I need to be easier and less stressful. Pre-smartphone, I set Google calendar to send me SMS notifications to give me a heads up about meetings or appointments. If I…

  • Crossing Paths

    My introversion is strong, so I feel the need to spend time alone to recharge my batteries. That does not mean I hate people. That is my elitism and narcissism. I do recognize the benefits of meeting new people, especially the complete stranger phenomenon described in Crossing Paths: Sometimes a complete stranger can answer our questions…

  • I am a fan of Jonathan Haidt. In running across this, I think it helps me understand where social conservatives are coming from. He talks about three dimensions: Solidarity: how close we are to something. Family are close. Strangers are far. Hierarchy: who is above and below. Divinity: closeness to a deity. Disgust originated as a…