Here’s an intriguing animation of psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist talking about the two hemispheres of the brain and summarising the ideas in his book The Master And His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. The video packs…
Why Your Brain Is Hardwired For Negativity, And What You Can Do About It
There’s a wealth of research showing that most people give more attention to threats than opportunities, for example: Negative experiences are remembered in more detail than positive ones Our attitudes are influenced more heavily by bad news than good news…
Decision Quicksand: Why We Get Bogged Down In Trivial Decisions
Why do people often get bogged down in trivial decisions? It turns out that our brains use the difficulty encountered in making a decision as a factor in deciding how much more time to spend on it. Researchers Aner Sela…
Recent Evidence-Backed Insights On How Not To Come Across As A Jerk – And What’s Behind Them
A recent paper reported in the very useful BPS Research Digest blog suggests that people often make a bad impression because they indulge in counter-productive tactics for trying to make themselves look better. The paper, “Impression mismanagement: People as inept…
Performance Related Pay And Bonuses Don’t Work – But People Still Believe They Do
Are people more, or less motivated when they are offered a reward for completing something well? If you’re like most people you will probably have said ‘more’ – but there’s a wealth of research dating back 45 years showing the…
The Best Podcasts For Brain Science, Understanding The Mind and People
Here’s my personal selection of some podcasts in the general area of understanding how people tick – ranging from neuroscience to management tips. The common denominator is that they all feature interviews, talks or contributions from leading researchers and practitioners…
What Research Says About How To Give Feedback
I came across a useful short article in the New York Times by Alina Tugend summarising research into the effects of ‘bad’ events (setbacks, losses, criticism) versus ‘good’ events (progress, gains, praise): Praise Is Fleeting, but Brickbats We Recall. This is…
Stress can be good for you – if you have the right mindset
Stress is generally thought of as bad for you. But there’s some research by Alia Crum, Peter Salovey, and Shawn Achor that suggests that in some cases it can actually do you good. What makes the difference is not the amount…
The Best Podcasts For Leading-Edge Management Thinking
One of the best ways of keeping up with the latest thinking in psychology as it relates to management and business is by listening to podcasts. If you’ve got a period in your day when you’ve got time to listen…
Politics, brain science, and organisational change
Or: Why does everyone love Occupy Wall Street when they hated the English rioters? It’s not every day that something useful comes out of an online discussion, but in this case I think something has. During the recent riots in…