Asimov on Scientific Discovery

One of the more useful phenomena employed in psychological research is what’s known as “priming.” This idea is simple: get a thought into people’s heads, and it lingers, thereby affecting future thoughts. Hold a cup of hot tea while riding an elevator, and the next person you meet might seem to have a warmer personality!…

We Americans are notoriously bad at saving money.  While people in Germany, Sweden and even France save about 10% of the money they make, folks in the U.S. save closer to 3 or 4% of their earnings.  With so little money saved, Americans face difficulty absorbing economic shocks like recessions and layoffs, and also find…

Fascinating new research sheds light on why so many people stick with dull jobs over trying something more exciting: They don’t expect to get paid enough to justify going after the more interesting options. Research into “effort aversion“ by Duke University Fuqua School of Business marketing professor Peter Ubel and David Comerford, an assistant professor at Stirling University found that in…