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The Diderot Effect: Why We’re Still Unhappy After Buying What We Want

July 9, 2018 By Melissa

One fateful day, Diderot’s world turned upside down.

No, he wasn’t laid off from his job. No, he wasn’t moving into a new apartment. And no, he wasn’t getting a divorce. In fact, he didn’t even realize at the time what was happening.

But before we get into all that, we need to answer the question: Who was Diderot?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: change, happiness, learning, life lesson, philosophy, psychology, research, self-deception, stress, success

Why Bronze Medalists Smile More Than Silver Medalists

February 20, 2018 By Melissa

When it comes to the Olympics, the rankings are clear: the gold medalist is the top athlete, followed by silver, and finally, bronze.

The top athletes go for gold. If not gold, then silver is better than the bronze medal. But if that’s the case, why do medalists holding the bronze have a wider grin on their faces than the silver medalists?

How Olympic Athletes React Based On Which Medal They Receive

In a study comparing the reactions of medal winners, researchers took video recordings of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The first recording showed the athletes as they learned their placement and the second recording showed the medal winners standing on the podium.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: change, failure, goal setting, happiness, life lesson, psychology, psychology study, research, science, self-deception, sports, success

The Disconnect Between Passion and Success

November 7, 2016 By Melissa

Andre Agassi was living the dream. He traveled all over the world, had hordes of fans, and did something for a living that most people see as a hobby in their pastime. He boasts of being a former World No. 1 in tennis, an eight-time Grand Slam champion and an Olympic gold medalist.

Formerly married to actress and model Brooke Shields, Agassi’s life off court was as vibrant as his tennis performance. He would collaborate with brands such as Nike, Adidas, and American Express on multi-million dollar endorsement deals. Agassi was the ultimate sports star.

So why was he unhappy?

In his autobiography Open, Andre Agassi revealed that he hated tennis. He hated it with what he calls a “dark and secret passion”.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Andre Agassi, career, goal setting, life lesson, passion, professional athlete, self-deception, sports, success, tennis

The Art of Self-Deception: How We Bandage Up Wounds by Lying to Ourselves

October 25, 2016 By Melissa

It’s easy to see why people lie to others: to keep their jobs, to avoid an argument with someone, to protect their reputation, or because they think everyone will be better off for it. It’s wrong, we know, but sometimes we figure that doing so is the best option in a sea of bad choices.

Lying to ourselves, though? It happens quite often, and as it turns out, we’re pretty good at it. We convince ourselves that we really need that new gadget, that we made a wise financial choice, or everything is fine (when it isn’t). Even if the evidence proves otherwise, we stick to our guns and refuse to back down.

More often than not, the lies we tell ourselves are harmful to our well-being and can be more damaging than we realize. So why do we do it?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Psychology Tagged With: brain, change, complacent, deception, delusion, false hope, instinct, lying, mistakes, psychology, science, self-deception, wishful thinking

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