In this week's column, Dan Ariely looks at an issue I have often thought about, first impressions. Being on the quiet side, I often think that I do not make a good first impression. To be honest, I blame it on my quiet side, but in reality, there could be several things about me that … Continue reading Despite First Impressions, There’s a Chance You Like Me…
In this week's Ask Dan column, Dan answers a reader's question about a phenomenon known as the perfection premium. Dear Dan, Every time my sister hosts a dinner party, she insists that every last tidbit of food she serves be homemade. This high standard is wearing on her. To make her life easier, I proposed … Continue reading Do You Suffer from the Perfection Premium?
But once again, my hopes were dashed. But I'm used to it. It's happened dozens of times over the years. But I was hoping this time would be different. I've daydreamed about what it would be like, sometimes in quite a bit of detail. My wife and I have talked about what we would do. … Continue reading I Was Really Hoping This Would Be the One
One of my favorite parts of writing a blog post is coming up with the title. I've even resorted to clickbait once or twice... But I have to give credit where credit is due. Tonight's title comes directly from Dan Ariely's column in today's Wall Street Journal. Here is the letter Dan received: I volunteer … Continue reading The Warm Glow of the ‘Maybe Favor’
I am happy to see that Dan Ariely still has his biweekly column in the Wall Street Journal, so I guess no fallout yet from the issues I had written about before. Even better from my perspective, this week's column introduced a new psychologic term I had never heard before - the End of History … Continue reading The End of History Illusion
This post may seem a bit odd coming just one day after I wrote about the controversy surrounding behavioral economist, Dan Ariely. While I personally don't think it looks good for Dan, I'm hoping it's an isolated incident and it doesn't negate all the other research he has done. Plus, people are supposed to be … Continue reading Practicing, Not YouTubing, Makes Perfect
Many readers of this blog will recognize the name, Dan Ariely. Dan is a world-renowned behavioral economist at Duke University and the best-selling author of several books on decision making. He also writes a biweekly column for the Wall Street Journal in which he answers readers' questions. That column has been a frequent source of … Continue reading Say It Ain’t So, Dan!
A friend recently asked me if I was interested in attending an indoor concert in early October. As much as I would enjoy both his company and the music, I declined the invitation, stating that I was not yet comfortable attending an indoor concert because of COVID concerns. He replied that he totally understood, but … Continue reading Using COVID As a Reason to Decline an Invitation…
In a recent post, I noted how some 20% of Americans believe in the conspiracy theory that microchips may have been planted inside COVID-19 vaccines. Many of you expressed disbelief that the number was so high, and you may also be wondering what to do if you encounter a person who holds such a belief. … Continue reading Dan Ariely Offers Advice on How to Deal with Conspiracy Theorists
This post is inspired by the most recent Dan Ariely column in the Wall Street Journal. Here is one of the emails he received: Dear Dan, My partner and I decided to do a DIY renovation of our kitchen cabinets. We spent many hours at the store discussing options and reviewing our sketches, then struggled … Continue reading My Blog and the Ikea Effect
Borden's Blather 