Robb G. BestOct 11, 20182 minIn The War on Truth, a New Weapon“Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it,” wrote Jonathan Swift in 1710. Variations of the saying, including the punchier...
Robb G. BestJun 7, 20182 minWould You Fall For It? The Conspiracy MindAre you likely to fall for a made-up government conspiracy? That depends: how well-informed are you? If you said “very”…bad news, you...
Robb G. BestJan 25, 20182 minSalience Bias, or Why it's Okay to Eat the AppleApples: they’re full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. And yet, if your young child scored a homemade candy apple while...
Robb G. BestJan 11, 20183 minThe Ostrich EffectFirst things first: despite any cartoons you might’ve seen, ostriches don’t try to hide from danger by burying their heads in the sand....
Robb G. BestOct 17, 20173 minHow the Decoy Effect Makes Dupes of Us AllImagine that, on the second morning of a business trip, you go to unzip your suitcase, only to realize you forgot to pack any pants. With...
Robb G. BestOct 12, 20173 minThe Frequency Illusion: How Not to Fall for Argle-BargleLet’s say you’re reading up on landmark Supreme Court decisions of the past decade. (Hey, everybody needs hobbies.) You’re skimming an...
Robb G. BestSep 28, 20174 minThe Problem(s) With Myers-Briggs in BusinessImagine going to a corporate team-building event where everyone in your office was sorted and evaluated based on the results of taking...
Robb G. BestSep 14, 20173 minFallen Empires and Phony Wine: The Seersucker EffectMaking iffy predictions about our future: it’s been a hallmark of human behavior for at least as long as we’ve been recording our...
Robb G. BestSep 7, 20174 minConfirmation Bias and the Parasites Nesting in Your Brain"What is the most resilient parasite?” asks Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2011 movie Inception. “Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm?”...
Robb G. BestJul 8, 20173 minWhy Evidence Doesn't MatterGiven that a good reporter is supposed to be both truthful and balanced, how should journalists cover an issue when opposing camps refuse...
Robb G. BestApr 1, 20172 minThe Proportionality ProblemDecision making: it’s what humans do. Estimates are that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. Of those daily decisions, 226...
Robb G. BestMar 12, 20173 minYou and I are not that SmartSoundbites, those tiny verbal morsels, are ubiquitous. From billboards to tweets to political slogans, we are awash in them. Soundbites...
Robb G. BestNov 4, 20153 minThe Lure of the Irrational: Why Basketball Players and Birds Fall Prey to SuperstitionIrrational behavior is commonplace in sports. Michael Jordan wore his "lucky" University of North Carolina practice shorts under his...
Robb G. BestJan 30, 20152 minWhen Two Heads Aren't Better Than OneIn case you were wondering whether or not there is, in fact, a word for everything, allow me to tell you that polycephany, the condition...