Mental Representations: The Art of Finding The Elephant
In 1501, the Church of Florence commissioned Michelangelo to sculpt a marble statue of David the Biblical shepherd boy. Because the...
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Shattering the Three Myths of Expertise
In the last twenty years we’ve learned a tremendous amount about how expertise is created. Scientists like K Anders Ericsson from Florida...
The Three Things Every Leader Needs
What is a leader? The simplest and perhaps most literal definition is “someone with followers.” But the presence of followers alone...
The Pros and Cons of Positive Thinking
What’s the best way to gear up for a new habit? There are two common approaches. One is to imagine the positive outcome of solving a...
The Lure of the Irrational: Why Basketball Players and Birds Fall Prey to Superstition
Irrational behavior is commonplace in sports. Michael Jordan wore his "lucky" University of North Carolina practice shorts under his...
How to Learn, or, Your Brain: A User's Manual
The concept of studying is at the core of our learning institutions. It's what you're supposed to be doing in college. Still, just how...
Edison's Errors: When Genius is 99 Percent Flop Sweat
When you think of inventors, the iconic example might be Thomas Edison, who brought us the electric lightbulb. In the process, he...
Push-ups, Pyramids, and You
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2500 BC. Its individual stone blocks weigh up to 50 tons, and its base contains roughly...
The Seinfeld Productivity Problem, and the Power of "Nothing"
When you think about Seinfeld, it's likely you think of his perpetually rerun TV show by the same name. His comedy was built on seemingly...
Sacrifice, Mastery and a Deal with the Devil
Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, in examining the lives of Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, T. S....
The Goldilocks Rule of Sales
The idea of a life in sales can have a greasy connotation, summoning the mental image of a slick insurance or car salesman pitching you...
Facing Victory: Inside the Brain of a Chess Champion
Susan Polgar is considered a chess genius; at 21, she was the first woman in the world to become a Grandmaster. Her chess skills are so...
The Marx Brothers: Princes of Practice
When we think of legends of comedy, the Marx Brothers might come to mind. In the years leading up to World War II, they were the toast of...
If It Ain't Broke...Practice Breaking It
Swimmer Michael Phelps, now retired, is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes of all time. Of his 22 medals, 18 are gold. Phelps...
Tricking Your Brain To a Better Life
Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a virtuoso like Ray Charles and the guy putting in his piano set at your local...
How to Not Eat a Marshmallow (Willpower Part Two)
In last week’s post, we learned how Walter Mischel’s famous marshmallow test demonstrated that preschoolers with a willpower strategy...
The Marshmallow Connection: What Determines Success?
Although he didn’t realize it then, when Walter Mischel and his team turned their attention to preschoolers at the Bing Nursery School on...
Procrastination, the McClellan Problem, and You
General George B. “Little Mac” McClellan was the Union force commander during the Civil War. Beloved by his men, and a stickler for...
What Do Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, and Lynyrd Skynyrd Have in Common?
When it comes to Carol Dweck’s concepts of mindset, northwestern Alabama might not be the first region that leaps into your mind. And yet...
Hacking Flow
In sports, it’s called being in the zone. I’m talking about those moments when self vanishes, time seems to slow down, and you are...