Once we set our minds on an idea, our brain works hard to uphold that belief. Like in this video, if we think that drivers of red sports cars are jerks, we’ll easily gather evidence to support that. One solution to counter this confirmation bias is to practice a scientific method mindset. Focus on evidence that
Are you skilled enough to listen to this recording and hear a hidden message? Once you’ve learned the hidden message, can you listen without hearing it? Our brains are prediction machines, constantly using experience to make sense of the present & anticipate the future. Sometimes we look at our environment & just see noise &
You are constantly changing…the “You” before you heard the recording and the “You” after the recording are like 2 different beings. Once we hold a pattern in our brains, it becomes very difficult to undo it, & our brain will easily seek out similar patterns. When we acquire a certain belief, we’ll see things that
Are you a Microsoft or Apple fan? For over 30 years 2 tech giants have used very different marketing strategies, with avid fans on both sides of the argument. With strong biases, many are either avid Apple or Microsoft fans with no in-between. But if you were looking to these as models to decide your
“Is that your final answer?” That famous phrase heard worldwide in different languages on the wildly popular game show “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?” meant that the time had come to make a final decision. Viewers sweated and felt the knotted stomach of emotional tension in the contestant. In my previous articles on decision-making,
Imagine driving down the highway, and suddenly a red flash cuts you off and zooms recklessly ahead, quickly disappearing in the distance. You think to yourself, “What a jerk! Thinks he doesn’t have to obey rules…he’s going to kill somebody! It figures he’s in a red Porsche…” And from that point you draw a conclusion
Our own brains can battle against effective decision-making because of cognitive biases. Limited models in our minds and unconscious efforts to take the easy and obvious road skew our view of the world of possibilities we should consider in a decision. But these 5 methods help us open up our options for better solutions.
We like to think we make reasonable, rational decisions…but there are many more pitfalls than we realize leading to irrationality. The first step in avoiding those traps is being aware of them. Come take a look at our complex mind, and how we often deceive ourselves.
Curiosity comes naturally to children…but adults think they already know everything, and lose the soft power skill of being incessantly inquisitive. It may kill cats, but curiosity is essential for a highly innovative and reliable organization—a HIRO—to function well. Two heart-breaking disasters in NASA’s history demonstrate how important it is to constantly stay curious.
