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Social proof is the idea that when we hear that a lot of people are doing something, we will be more likely to behave similarly. Its effects are widespread and diverse, and you can use it to your advantage.
Tag: Psychology
My Scientific Training Brought Me to My New Favorite Book Genre
It was about this time last year that I found myself falling flat on the admirable New Year’s resolutions I had set. My daily yoga routine had evolved into a 30 second toe-touch in the morning and my new eco-friendly products were still in a…
Where Motivation Hides
Recently, I couldn’t find my keys. They weren’t where I usually keep them. Turns out, I was so distracted when I came home that I left them dangling in the lock. Other days, I’m looking for my phone. Where could I have put it? Oh…
If everyone jumps off a bridge, would you too?
For better or for worse, some of our most vivid memories are the ones we made as a teenager. Memories of questionable fashion choices, high school cliques, and many faux pas certainly reinforce just how tumultuous the adolescent years were. With the newfound importance of…
Fight Fire with…(Why it’s good you’re already finishing this title)
The elderly woman exhaled loudly as she pushed up from sitting at the kitchen table. She’d heard a knocking from the front porch and wondered if her son had forgotten something earlier. She walked to the kitchen door and looked out across the porch, only…
Opening Our Minds to “Outsiders”
Who I am today is a reflection of all the sacrifices my immigrant parents made to achieve the American Dream. In the late 1970s, my parents fled the Communist takeover of Vietnam, leaving behind family and friends and spending weeks traveling by boat to come to…
Is Your Impostor Syndrome Showing?
I was sitting at my kitchen table with a scattered mess of textbooks and notes studying for my first graduate school final. The white board was filled with incoherent scribbles of chemical structures and electron arrows. I had hit a wall, and all the thoughts…
Grossed Out? It’s a Grave Matter in Moral Psychology
Halloween is a time of year when we hanker for the horrific, ogle at the ugly, and revel in the rotten. And in this election year, we’re just as likely to overhear conversations about repugnant costumes (like gory zombies or bloody brides) as we are…
An Apple Logo a Day Means Your Memory’s Okay, But Not Perfect
Immediately close your eyes and draw the Apple logo from memory. How confident are you that your drawing is accurate? Keep reading to see how well you did! Companies change logos frequently. Google, Uber, and Instagram all rebranded in the past year or so. But how well…
Why Oreos Are Not As Addictive As Cocaine
They had to go. Their cream filled indifference stared back at me as I decided their final seconds were nigh. The Oreos. They would all disappear into my face tonight. All I knew was that by the next day, I wanted to be released from…