Robb G. BestSep 10, 20202 minThe Over-the-Counter Medicine That Increases Your Risk-TakingWe tend to think of our personalities as pretty fixed and stable. We divide ourselves into introverts and extroverts, dreamers and realis...
Robb G. BestOct 4, 20192 minWhen Having a Snack Might Save YouGot an important decision to make? If you’re feeling hungry, new research suggests you should probably have a snack or a meal before you ...
Robb G. BestJul 26, 20182 minDecoding the Hidden Language of Your EyeballPreviously, we’ve talked about how enlarged pupils can signify attention or arousal. If someone’s pupils dilate when you talk to them, co...
Robb G. BestFeb 8, 20183 minSufficing Your Way Into A Happier TomorrowAt over a decade old, Barry Schwartz's 2004 The Paradox of Choice definitely shows its age in some ways. CD players appear in example sho...
Robb G. BestFeb 1, 20183 minThe Paradox of the Paradox of ChoiceStartFragment When it comes to selling, is it better to present your customers with many options, or just a few? It's a debate that's bee...
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. 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 i...
Robb G. BestFeb 17, 20163 minBinary Selection and the Tyranny of "Good, Better, Best"Last time you pulled up to a gas pump, you had to make a choice. That choice consisted of 87% with ethanol, Regular, or Premium. It’s a c...
Robb G. BestAug 1, 20142 minNeuroscience, Decision-making, and StrippersDecision making: there are countless books about it because, lets face it, decisions are at the epicenter of what we humans do. Make the w...
Robb G. BestJun 20, 20143 minThe Bumpy Elevator Ride to the TopAllegedly, this year Noah has knocked out Michael as the most popular baby boy name in the US. Perhaps among the names least likely to ma...
Robb G. BestJun 13, 20143 minThe Weed in your BrainTaraxacum is not some newly found dinosaur. It is the scientific name for the pesky weed commonly called the dandelion. The dandelion ind...
Robb G. BestJun 6, 20142 minSing a Song of Willpower“Oh, the thigh bone’s connected to the leg bone and the leg bone’s connected to the…” You probably learned some version of this classic ...
Robb G. BestMay 23, 20143 minThe Achilles' Heel in Your ThinkingHave you ever wondered why some people—and maybe we’re talking about you—are so adamant about some things? It might be a political positi...
Robb G. BestFeb 28, 20142 minThe Twain Brain, or, Why Smart People do Stupid ThingsStartFragment “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” So said Mark Twain, printer, steamboat...
Robb G. BestFeb 14, 20143 minSaving Grandma, or: 5 Steps to Dealing With Complex SystemsLast week’s blog dealt with the inherent threat in complex systems, specifically your Grandmother, (or really, anybody’s Grandma) and cor...
Robb G. BestFeb 7, 20143 minWhat Your Grandma and Corporations Have in CommonImagine your grandma just celebrated her 85th birthday. She's beginning to forget things, but her doctor has reassured you that since, if...
Robb G. BestJan 24, 20143 minThe Experiencing Self, or, Why Present-You Hates Past-YouUnlike Calvin here, most of us will probably never get the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation between our current selves and...
Robb G. BestJan 17, 20143 minSix Strategies for Avoiding the TruthAre you lying to yourself every day? Depends: are you a "Bayesian Updater?" Hopefully you are. The term is named after Reverend Thomas Ba...
Robb G. BestNov 22, 20132 minEinstein, Allie Brosh, and the Secret to Procrastinating With StyleWhen you contemplate your life, wondering what it means to be alive, it’s unlikely the first thing that came to mind was ‘office work.’ A...
Robb G. BestNov 15, 20132 minAre You Smarter Than a Mouse?"Are you smarter than a mouse?" This was one of the intriguing topics presented at this week's Society for Neuroscience conference in San...