About a month before the 2016 presidential election, a picture circulated on the internet of a middle-aged female Trump supporter grinning wryly and wearing a handmade shirt giving Trump permission to grab her (in the pursuit of decency, I won’t say where). Continue reading “Not Feeling Stupid: The Root of Trump’s Resilience”
Frequent Flyer Programs Should be Grounded
Loyalty programs of all shapes and sizes have always left a bad taste in my mouth, but one type in particular makes me regurgitate vomit: airline loyalty programs. Continue reading “Frequent Flyer Programs Should be Grounded”
An Apple a Day Keeps the Robot Away
The promise of artificial intelligence in medicine
An autonomous robot recently sewed up a sliced intestine in an anesthetized pig. With the sutures spaced evenly and the pig resting peacefully in the recovery suite, the surgery was a success, representing yet another breakthrough in artificial intelligence. Continue reading “An Apple a Day Keeps the Robot Away”
Using Behavioral Economics to Learn From Sam Hinkie’s Mistakes
Sam Hinkie’s resignation from 76ers GM via 13 page manifesto in 2016 didn’t lack for style (or for burying the lede, which he announced at the end of the first page). In the letter he explains to shareholders his philosophy on basketball and on life, citing a diverse group of business icons, scholars, and other luminaries, including: Continue reading “Using Behavioral Economics to Learn From Sam Hinkie’s Mistakes”
Ubiquity of the Dull: The Phenomenon of Weather-Related Small talk
One of the most perplexing aspects of the modern workplace is the pervasiveness of weather-related small talk. According to an unscientific poll I recently conducted, 0% of people find the weather an interesting conversation topic. Nevertheless, actual research suggests that 94% have discussed it within the past 6 hours alone.
Just today, I counted myself having no less than three conversations that were some variation on “the weather is weather outside!”
If no one finds it interesting, why do we all do it1? Continue reading “Ubiquity of the Dull: The Phenomenon of Weather-Related Small talk”
Decoding what Makes March Madness so Great
Without question March Madness is my favorite time of the year. I’m far from a die-hard college basketball fan, but a number of features of March Madness turn it from your run-of-the-mill postseason tournament into an earth-shattering spectacle of awesome.
Collegeball: A True Underdog Story Continue reading “Decoding what Makes March Madness so Great”
5 Negotiation Tips From Settlers of Catan
If you haven’t yet played Settlers of Catan, you are making a foolish mistake.
I was the fool until about 2 months ago, when I first settled the legendary land of Catan. This coincided with my girlfriend beginning a stretch of near constant work travel, creating a perfect storm resulting in me spending inordinate amounts of time placing plastic pieces on a dilapidated board. Continue reading “5 Negotiation Tips From Settlers of Catan”
C.R.E.A.M: How The Wu Tang Clan Explains the US Health Care System
Doctors don’t always get along with hospitals, and you probably wouldn’t either if you were in their shoes.
One of the most universally applicable insights was first uttered in 1993 by the philosopher Method Man when he raspily rapped
Cash Rules Everything Around Me
He was absolutely right. In all industries, money influences behavior in surprising ways, and health care is no exception. Continue reading “C.R.E.A.M: How The Wu Tang Clan Explains the US Health Care System”
The Glass is Mostly Full, but the Empty Part Hurts More than the Full Part Feels Good
According to recent research, we are more likely to use positive words than negative ones, exhibiting a “universal positivity bias.”1 Its not surprising that we would have evolved this way: making people feel good rather than bad is generally going to help your chances of finding someone willing to help you pass on your genes.2 Continue reading “The Glass is Mostly Full, but the Empty Part Hurts More than the Full Part Feels Good”
Just a Thought, But to be More Persuasive, You Might Want to Consider Speaking Like This
“I might be wrong about this, but…”
“I’m no expert, but…”
“Would we maybe be willing to consider doing it this way?”
“Does this make sense?”
Common wisdom1 suggests not only that that these types of phrases discredit you and undermine whatever point you are trying to make, but also that they are used more often by women than by men.
The only thing better than common wisdom is research, and the only thing better than research is research in the form of cleverly named academic articles, one of which confirms that women do use these qualifiers more often than men (though the gender language gap is surprisingly small). The evidence regarding whether disclaimers actually make you less persuasive, though, is far less black and white, and—like the disclaimers themselves—suggests shades of gray. Continue reading “Just a Thought, But to be More Persuasive, You Might Want to Consider Speaking Like This”
Intersections 