Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
"Intuitive predictions are almost completely insensitive to the actual predictive quality of the evidence," writes Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow. A lot of our thinking takes place in the part of our brain which is good at making quick connections, quickly detecting patterns, and making fast judgments. The deeper and more thoughtful part … Continue reading Intuitive Predictions and Intensity Matching
For much of our waking life we operate on System 1, or we at least allow System 1 to be in control of many of our actions, thoughts, and reactions to the world around us. We don't normally have to think very hard about our commute to work, we can practically walk through the house … Continue reading A Capacity for Surprise
"If you can be sure of being right only 55 percent of the time," writes Dale Carnegie in the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, "you can go down to Wall Street and make a million dollars a day. If you can't be sure of being right even 55 percent of the time, … Continue reading We Might Be Wrong
In Letters From a Stoic Seneca writes, "There are more things ... likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality." Our minds work really hard to keep us safe, keep us in important positions, and keep us connected so that we can succeed and … Continue reading Be Calm Ahead of Your Obstacle
In his book Becoming Who We Need To Be, author Colin Wright explains how training in certain areas changes us. "Training our instincts is like feeding our subconscious. It grants us more informed, helpful knee-jerk reactions, rather than blind and potentially damaging impulses." For examples, Wright writes about the ways that experienced auto mechanics are … Continue reading Training Our Instincts