Of all the different casino games, blackjack gives you the best odds against the house. But most players tend to overestimate their skills. Maybe they know the correct strategies in theory, but they end up relying on unreliable hunches. A quirk of human nature is that we tend to focus more on our wins than […]
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Some of us have always struggled to strike up conversations and make good first impressions. And plenty more people felt their social skills erode over the course of the pandemic. Don’t worry: feeling a little nervous around new people is very common, and the easiest way to overcome it is just accepting the discomfort, which […]
How to Fine-Tune Your Moods
Your brain is a natural operating system. And we’re lucky enough to live in an era where this OS is increasingly well understood. Simple techniques can activate the chemicals in your brain that make you feel most happy. Here are a few suggestions. Celebrate small victories. Big successes are few and far between, so it pays […]
Why Success = Information
You’ve heard the adage to learn from your mistakes. But it’s equally important to learn from your successes, both personally and as a leader. You can get a lot of useful information from achievements and high-performing workers—and analyzing it can be instructive and motivating, for you and others. This principle is important to remember during […]
How to Take Control of Your Mornings
Anyone can become a morning person with enough practice. While most of the world is sleeping, you’ll have the gift of time to become the person you need to be. Adopting any new habit takes a period of adjustment, so it might not be easy at first. But if you maintain a positive attitude, waking […]
Are You Ready for What’s Coming?
The Information Age has caused rapid societal shifts over the last decades that were accelerated by the pandemic. As the world becomes more and more online, we’re learning new things about ourselves and what it means to be a citizen in the fourth age of society (the first three being hunter-gatherer, agricultural, and industrial). This […]
Why Trust Matters
Humanity has had a rough few years, which pessimists have taken as proof that the world keeps getting worse. Objectively, however, life for most people has increased in quality. Global poverty is declining, living conditions are improving, mortality is decreasing, and prosperity is flourishing. In The Rational Optimist, scientist and author Matt Ridley explains that working […]
How to Engage Hyperfocus Mode
Forty seconds. That’s how long most people can work on a computer before they are distracted or interrupted. That’s not enough time to get your work done, obviously, so the question becomes: how can you focus better? Productivity expert Chris Bailey says that we can engage hyperfocus, a mode in which we focus on a […]
What’s Your Relationship with Alcohol?
Alcohol is toxic. But drinking is so common that its real effects are often minimized in society. Many people don’t realize the severe health impacts it can have over time. Drinking raises your chances of having a stroke, going into a coma, and getting cancer, among other health problems. A lot of people are afraid […]
The Problem with Big Pharma
The pharmaceutical industry is deeply corrupt. The problem is systemic: the companies value profit over patients, when it needs to be the other way around. The problem has worsened over the last few decades, as trials have moved from university settings to for-profit clinical research shops. These organizations are highly commercial and, worse, exploitative, conducting […]
