Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (courtesy of Freakonomics Facebook page)
Conventional wisdom can be a bitch. While there may be occasional wisdom in crowds, the truth is that fools seldom differ.
If going with the flow could land us in hot soup, how then should we solve the many problems in our world?
Sandy Pentland of MIT (courtesy of MIT)
Why do ideas spread from person to person? How do we marry the worlds of social influence, big data, and behavioural economics?
Enter Social Physics, a concept coined by MIT Professor Alex “Sandy” Pentland. Director of the Human Dynamics Laboratory, Pentland’s book Social Physics: How Good Ideas Spread – The Lessons from New Science proposes a new theory of human social interaction.
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Catalysed by the ubiquitous social web, our lives are becoming inseparable from that of our networks. We are addicted to the constant online “strokes” delivered by our friends, and crave their likes, shares, comments and retweets.
Like it or loathe it, much of what happens in real life (IRL) is intimately intertwined to how we behave in the virtual world. And we’re lovin’ it.
Life in a modern city can be hectic and stressful. Especially if you’re a working mother trying to balance multiple roles – career/business, caregiver, mother, wife, and friend.
The tremendous strain of continually juggling numerous balls may also result in the deterioration of one’s mental, spiritual and emotional health.
This man wants you to think more clearly (courtesy of Wikimedia)
You’ve heard the saying “to err is human and forgive divine”.
What you may not know, however, is that us Homo sapiens have been hardwired over the millenia to be illogical, distorted in our perception of reality, and inaccurate in our judgements.
In other words, to err repeatedly is human.
Why does pain sometimes feel like pleasure? Why do we enjoy music and art even though there aren’t any adaptive advantages? When does “one man’s meat” become “another man’s poison”?
The answers to these human behavioural puzzles (and more) can be found in How Pleasure Works. Written by Yale’s evolutionary psychologist Paul Bloom, the book uncovers the “new science of why we like what we like”. By delving into the fields of anthropology, evolution, history, biology and psychology, the book investigates why we humans are so different compared to our fellow earthlings.
Are you addicted to social networks? (courtesy of Salsafrica Blog)
I’ve just watched a TED video featuring a highly impactful talk by psychologist Sherry Turkle on how we’re all becoming increasingly connected while becoming increasingly alone.
It really set me thinking. Hard.
Want to know why drug dealers live with their mothers?
Curious to uncover what dishonest schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
What is the secret to outstanding performance in any field? What makes world class musicians, athletes and scientists different from the rest of us?
In a similar vein to earlier titles like The Tipping Point and Blink, acclaimed nonfiction writer Malcolm Gladwell spins a fascinating tale on what made people remarkable in Outliers – The Story of Success.
Does being beautiful and handsome give you a head start in life?
Well, despite what should have been a fairer and more equal world, the ugly truth is that looks still matter. At least according to Beauty Bias – Discrimination and Social Power authored by sociologist Bonnie Berry.
