Alexandra Newton
@alexnewton
Alexandra Newton
People have too many choices these days. They are tired of constantly having to make decisions, particularly when it takes a major effort to make intelligent decisions-i.e., knowing the difference between all the breathable/waterproof fabrics. For most people, separating the men's styles from the women's is hard enough. The best restaurants in the ... See more
Yvon Chouinard • Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
In The Paradox of Choice, the psychologist Barry Schwartz argues that infinite choice – whether of mutual funds, breakfast cereals or lovers – is exhausting to the human psyche and leads to greater dissatisfaction. When presented with too many choices, we are not only stunned, like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, but also less satisfied with th
... See moreMia Levitin • The Future of Seduction
While offering ample choice is regarded as essential by many retailers, this too can prove disempowering when it obliges shoppers to invest an excessive amount of cognitive energy in reaching a decision. It causes them to shift from shopping on subconscious autopilot and compels them to engage in rational, conscious thought processes.
Dr. David Lewis • The Brain Sell: How the new mind sciences and the persuasion industry are reading our thoughts, influencing our emotions, and stimulating us to shop
The startling findings were that people made better choices when not thinking at all, especially in complex consumer settings.
The researchers argued that this is because our unconscious processes are less constrained than conscious processes, which make huge demands on our cognitive system. Unconscious processes, such as intuition, function in ways
... See moreTo What Extent Are We Ruled by Unconscious Forces? - Neuroscience News
cognitive load. If we are trying to make a buying decision and there are many factors to take into account – such as weighing up prices, product features, how often we might use the product, whether the product is likely to be better quality than the other options, etc – it can overwhelm and overtax our conscious System 2 minds
Darren Bridger • Neuro Design: Neuromarketing Insights to Boost Engagement and Profitability
I’m saying that the greater the burden you place on your biological brain to give you everything you want and need, the more it will struggle under the weight of it all. You’ll feel more stressed, anxious, like there are way too many balls in the air.
Tiago Forte • Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential
The mind is also a terrible office. The most obvious priorities in your mental stacks tend to be whatever is latest (most recent input) and loudest (most emotionally charged content). There is a chance on a given afternoon that you will give as much mental real estate to “buy bread” as you will to “buy building.” Probably more, because you’re afrai
... See moreDavid Allen • Making It All Work
Performance Load is a concept that explains what happens when you have too many things to do. Above a certain point, the more tasks a person has to do, the more their performance on all of those tasks decreases. Imagine juggling bowling pins. If you’re skilled, you may be able to juggle three or four without making a mistake. The more pins that mus
... See moreJosh Kaufman • The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume
We also accumulate problems and grudges and anxieties and commitments and opinions—piles and piles of them. Our mental load grows and grows. Our to-do list grows and grows. It all builds up slowly, until we feel overwhelmed, stuck, and weighed down.