Robb G. BestNov 8, 20132 minAristotle's Three Musketeers, or, A Swiftly Tipping StoolWhat might the Greek philosopher and Jack-of-all-trades Aristotle think of the latest findings in neuroscience? How would his notion of...
Robb G. BestOct 25, 20132 minChocolate Chip Cookies and the Secret to Will-PowerIf you run up a long steep incline, it doesn’t take very long before you burn through the energy stored in your muscles and find your...
Robb G. BestOct 11, 20133 minThe Final Word on Word-of-MouthLet’s start at the location where every single sale begins. I’m talking, of course, about a customer’s brain. Inside each customer’s...
Robb G. BestSep 27, 20133 minThe Robert Frost Quandary, or How Irrational Thinking Might Save Your LifeYou stumble out of the wilderness, having had no contact with humans for at least ten days. You’re weak from hunger and fatigue and you...
Robb G. BestSep 13, 20133 minThe Morality Lag: Smartphones and Dumb FeelingsYour smartphone has more computing power than the computer that took Neil Armstrong and crew to the moon. And this is only one of the...
Robb G. BestAug 9, 20133 minHow to Run Your Company Like Da VinciIt's hard to overestimate the power of whole-brain thinking. Sometimes defined as "systems thinking", it occurs when your creative right...
Robb G. BestJul 26, 20134 minWhy your brain is no match for VegasThanks to modern jet travel, I am currently high above the American Great Plains, winging my way to Las Vegas tonight to speak at a...
Robb G. BestJul 12, 20133 minThe D'Oh Effect, the Heath Brothers, and the Secrets to Good Decision-MakingBuyer's remorse is a terrible thing. It occurs when you have the realization that you've bought the wrong thing and now you can't return...
Robb G. BestJul 5, 20133 minGaming the memory: the 'Peak-end' RuleHow do you decide on whether to go back to the same restaurant again, buy the same breakfast cereal, or even whether to read this blog...
Robb G. BestJun 14, 20133 minHow Smart are You?How do we measure intelligence? The ancient Chinese had some of the first tests designed to evaluate a person's smarts: a game called...
Robb G. BestMay 3, 20132 minMeasuring the Unmeasureable"Metric" is a kind of sexed up word for measurement, popular among the corporate crowd. The interesting thing about "metric" is that it...
Robb G. BestApr 19, 20133 minTo Buy or Not to Buy, that is the questionStartFragment Every day, billions of dollars are exchanged for goods or services in that most American pastime known as shopping. Some...
Robb G. BestApr 5, 20133 minYour Brain on BiasLast year, roughly 40,000 people died in automobile crashes on America's highways. This is a tragic number, but it has been much worse in...
Robb G. BestMar 22, 20133 minGetting Smart About IntelligenceSo what is intelligence, or more importantly, how does it work? The U.S. federal government recently announced it has budgeted some 3...
Robb G. BestMar 1, 20132 minWomen's Intuition and the Dead Man ShuffleSuppose you are a visitor from another planet. You’ve been sent down to Earth to observe human shopping behavior. You find yourself...
Robb G. BestFeb 8, 20132 minBeware of Angels and Snackwell CookiesWhen is the last time you ran into an angel? Not "angle"--we're talking harp, robes, and halo. Well, it turns out you don't have to...
Robb G. BestNov 30, 20123 minGeneral Custer, Bath Mats, and MothsWhen General George Armstrong Custer made the ill-fated decision to charge his 700 troops into the heart of the Lakota Nation on June...
Robb G. BestSep 14, 20122 minEinstein, the Janitor, and Ockham's RazorThroughout the ages, the enlightened among us have passed along many ideas that shape our lives. It is estimated that nearly 40% of all...
Robb G. BestAug 4, 20122 minFalling Off the Horse: the Emotional Brain, the Rational Brain, and the Struggle for BalanceWhat do Jonah Lehrer and the USA men’s Olympic gymnastic team have in common? They both blew up this week. In both cases, the bombs were...