psychology — Writing Things

You Should Read This… But it’s Up to You

…Alas, as much as this article seems to be heading towards big, deep topics, it will not get heavy. There’ll be no thoughts on governance or inherent human freedoms or cultural shifts or the best way to combat a virus. So, don’t worry about that.

Instead, I want to move us to a comparatively minuscule space; a theory in psychology that has probably been having a grand ole time playing in our brains this year.

Because as restrictions rise and fall, our brains respond. And how people react to perceived threats to their autonomy can be pretty interesting…

Human Behaviour, Leadership and InfluenceSonia DiabNovember 27, 2020Reactance, psychology, but you're free

Would You Notice an Elite Musician Playing on the Street?

Our expectations shape our experiences: Presumably, people assumed that if they recognised the name of the poet, the poem was probably a good one. If they didn’t know the name, they could still decide it was a good one, but it would probably take more work to come to that conclusion. The brain didn’t have a signal of the poem’s quality, so it couldn’t jump straight to a higher ranking without considering it carefully. On the other hand, expecting a famous poet's poem to be great probably increased the enjoyment in reading the poem anyway.

When Joshua Bell was playing his violin at the subway station, it may have been a similar process. He was wearing regular clothes, busking while people travelled to work. There was nothing to signal – aside from the beautiful performance – that people should pay attention. No sign, no suit, no paparazzi.

Human Behaviour, PhilosophySonia DiabNovember 8, 2020inattentional blindness, focus, expectations, psychology

How the Paradox of Choice is Wasting Your Time

The paradox of choice is a paradox because we assume that more choices are necessarily a good thing. If I’m a business and I offer more options to my customers, I’d anticipate better sales results. If you’re staying in on a Friday night and want to watch a movie, you’d think that having thousands of movies available through streaming services would be a convenient and helpful service.

And while having choices can be empowering, having too many choices can be a hindrance.