#skepticism

#skepticism

Despite spending the last 15 years studying behavior change, personality development, and developing evidence-based treatments, I still feel the pull. Why? Because wouldn't it be wonderful if meaningful change were quick and easy? The idea that a single insight, habit, or system could instantly transform how we think, feel, and behave is deeply appealing, especially when we're tired and overextended (which, of course, we are as the holidays come to a close).

They say the Goatman prowls the woods at night near my home in Maryland. He was once a biologist named Stephen Fletcher at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. That was before the accident with goat DNA transformed him into a half-­human, half-­goat monster who devours victims that he slays with an axe. It's been decades since I first heard of the Goatman.

Dratch, who wore an all-navy outfit with a small bird-pendant necklace, was exploring Stick Stone & Bone, a West Village boutique that hawks woo-woo wares: gems, jewelry, incense. Nose-ringed clientele browsed quietly; jazzy piano twinkled softly from above. The shop had been recommended by Amy Poehler, Dratch's close friend and podcast guest. On the show, Dratch and her co-host, Irene Bremis, a comedian and Dratch's high-school pal, are regaled by familiar faces' woo-woo tales: Tina Fey's spooky Jersey vacation town, Will Forte's Ouija high jinks, Gloria Steinem on the intuition of the oppressed. Dratch said that Poehler is, generally, "the ultimate skeptic" of woo-woo-ness.

YoungHoon Kim, a South Korean figure who calls himself the "world's highest IQ record holder," says he has converted all of his assets into bitcoin. Kim also predicted that bitcoin will grow at least 100-fold within the next decade, eventually becoming the world's "ultimate reserve asset." He shared a photo of himself meeting Matt Prusak, president of American Bitcoin, a firm tied to the Trump family.

Trust is our basic response to people and the things they tell us (Grice, 1975; Schwarz & Jalbert, 2020). If someone tells us something, we tend to believe they are doing their best to tell us the truth. If we walk into a store, we trust the prices listed are what we'll pay. We trust that the item inside the box is what's listed on the outside of the box.

I've spent the last week at Burning Man, surrounded by aging hippies, rich Europeans, fire twirlers and engineers gone wild. My skin is buried under a seven-layer dip of dust, sweat, sunscreen and spilled beer. My ears are still ringing slightly from the nightly barrage of electronic music. On a given day here, I've seen a lifetime's worth of bare cheeks. I am desperate to go home. But somehow, I'm happy.

Rather than simply repeating the wrecking-ball momentum and fist-shaking incredulity of his previous work, WHO WATERS THE WILTING GIVING TREE takes a fairly intimate view of the usually enigmatic $ilk.

The 'transgender tipping point' of 2014, where trans visibility surged, now appears to be reversing with increased restrictions and bans on gender-affirming care.

"There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them." — Anthony de Mello

The Barnum effect demonstrates that people can easily be misled by vague personal feedback, often accepting it as accurate despite its generic nature.

Even if we only walk, we are faster than others," says Sun as he laughs mischievously. He is using the run-walk imagery to describe the state of the Chinese economy compared to its competitors. The businessman had been doing well selling real estate in China. Still, he doesn't want to see his full name published because his business is currently not doing well. There are vacant properties all over, and many apartments are just too expensive. What about the future, what's next? Sun shrugs, suggesting that everything will turn out fine.

One look at the Wire Chair concept and you can't help but wonder if you've stumbled into a visual prank. The entire piece is supported by a single, thin metal tube that loops and bends to hold up a plywood seat and a compact side table.

The wind moves, but it's the mind that truly moves. The challenge lies in finding clarity amidst fast-paced changes that leave many feeling lost.

Diversity training is more effective when it's personalized, according to my new research in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Psychology.