Articles
for general educational purposes only
The liking principle: Increasing influence through likeability
We tend to be more easily persuaded by people we like.
The reciprocity principle: Understanding the power of gifts and favours
We have a strong tendency to feel obligated to reciprocate favours received.
The contrast principle: Comparative orders magnify perceived differences
Our perception of things is significantly influenced by the context in which they are presented.
Biases: why you are not as rational as you like to think
Because of our cognitive biases we tend to make systematic errors in our thinking.
Loss aversion: taming the fear of loss for smarter decisions
We tend to be more driven to avoid losses than to achieve gains.
Optimism bias: navigating the pitfalls of unrealistic optimism
Optimism bias can cause us to make decisions based on unrealistically optimistic expectations.
Hindsight bias: Why we think we knew it all along
It is difficult for our minds to reconstruct our previous beliefs.
The anchoring effect: The power of initial values
We tend to make estimates that stay close to the first proposed value.
Why projects always take longer than you think
The planning fallacy is our tendency to underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future tasks, while overestimating their benefits.
Why environmental organisations show cute animals
The affect heuristic is our tendency to make judgements and decisions based on our current emotions.
Why moving to a Mediterranean climate won’t make you happier
The focusing illusion is a cognitive bias that leads us to overestimate the importance of something because we focus our attention on it.
Why strategies used by successful people don’t work for you
Survivorship bias is our tendency to focus on the successful outcomes (survivors, winners) of a particular situation, while overlooking the unsuccessful outcomes (failures, losers).