Posts by David DiSalvo
Your Brain: Capable of Greatness, Hard-wired for Survival
(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from David DiSalvo’s new book What makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite.) A new product is about to hit the market, and I think you’ll want to take notice. It’s called the “Super Novum.” Shaped like a slightly overlarge motorcycle helmet, the user places…
Read MoreWhat makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite
(Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from David DiSalvo’s new book What makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite.) Taking a position in any argument—large or small—is slippery business for our brains. We can have every intention of honestly pursuing an answer, yet still fool ourselves into thinking our method is…
Read MoreWhat to Do and Not to Do to Boost Self-Control
More and more research suggests that our brains have difficulty differentiating between observing an action and actually participating in it. Empathy, for example, seems to hinge in part on our ability to “take on” another’s emotions through vicarious experience. I always think of this when watching a comedian fall flat. I can feel the embarrassment…
Read MoreDid You See the Gorilla? An Interview with Psychologist Daniel Simons
If you’ve spent any time on YouTube over the last few years (and you know you have), you’ve likely seen the video of the invisible gorilla experiment (if you’ve somehow missed it, catch yourself up here). The researchers who conducted that study, Dan Simons and Chris Chabris, didn’t realize that they were about to create an instant classic—a psychology…
Read MoreCan You Outsmart Your Genes? An Interview with Author Richard Nisbett
While the debate over intelligence rages on many fronts, the battle over the importance of heredity rages loudest. It’s easy to see why. If the camp that argues intelligence is 75 to 85 percent genetically determined is correct, then we’re faced with some tough questions about the role of education. If intelligence is improved very…
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