Behavioral Psychology

The spacing effect was reported in 1885 by a German psychologist called Hermann Ebbinghaus. He observed that we tend to remember things more effectively, if we spread reviews out over time, instead of studying multiple times in one session.

One recent study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that while men in the workplace may view women’s status gains positively, their power gains are, in contrast, perceived as negative and threatening. So threatening, in fact, that the researcher behind the study, Sonya Mishra, observed that they push men toward more... See more

The authors link this to the so-called Tocqueville paradox, which suggests that social progress can, paradoxically, lead to greater frustration.

The essay suggests that in high-energy emotional states, such as falling in love, grief, awe, psychedelics, deep meditation, the brain becomes molten, its patterns loosened, more open to reorganisation. The person we focus on in these states becomes like a mold for the cooling metal, shaping how our thoughts settle, what habits crystallise, what... See more

Totalitarianism took freedom from people, Lifton noted. But it gave them something in return: It freed them from freedom.

For the ordinary person in a totalitarian system, facts and truth are all provided. Explanations for observations are provided. Meaning is provided. Everything is cut-and-dried. Clear answers. An important struggle between good... See more

As a form of value beyond material capital (what you own), cultural capital (what you know), and social capital (who you know) — Charisma Capital is defined by how you move through the world.

People rarely want direction, they want confirmation.

“independence is a prerequisite for the wisdom of crowds.” That is, if you want to use crowdsourcing to produce accurate information, you have to ensure that people make their judgments in private. If people provide their answers in a public setting where they can see everyone else’s answers, then the crowd can transform wisdom into madness.

A charming person is not one that glimmers but holds a mirror to your glow — a conversation with them makes you fall for them by making you fall for yourself.