Inertia vs. risk: which side are you on?
Conformity is so normalized, we are barely aware of it when we bow to safe, established standards. It’s like a river that wants to stay on its regular course, since…
Category: Experiments
At least they tried!
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh received acclaim for piloting The Spirit of St. Louis across the ocean — the first non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris. Yet two weeks…
Daydreaming? Don’t let us disturb you.
They who dream by day are more cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only at night. – E.A. Poe* We have written about dreams before, and for…
The weather is always nice!
We are raised to believe that there is “good weather” and “bad weather.” So we learn to say 80 degrees and balmy is good, and 33 degrees and rainy is…
Exercise #19: Fun with deprogramming.
New year, old patterns? If you find yourself a few days into the fresh annum already backtracking on your resolutions, you are not alone. But rather than cave to your…
Heads you win, tails you win: the SuperOptimist guide to the New Year.
Lots of people play it safe as they age, and for good reason. “Safe” seems to be a wiser choice than “sorry.” But could it be that we actually have…
Experiment 411: Transcending the customer call center experience.
One of the most unpleasant tasks a present-day human can undertake is making the dreaded “phone call to customer service.” A typical experience might involve, oh, say Verizon Wireless and…
Let’s get out the vote like it’s 1758!
Whereby we examine why some people don’t vote, and offer remedies for this situation, including one utilized by none other than the first president of the United States. While the…