Dieting and Behavior: Concepts That Shed Light (And Possibly Pounds)
My life has been filled with many accomplishments: a fulfilling career that combines my interests such as innovation, education and research; a spouse who is also a true friend; two smart, funny, and kind-hearted children; good friendships and meaningful relationships; relative financial stability; and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. However, there is one achievement of which […]
What Puppy Love Can Teach Us About Broken Education Systems
“To do nothing is within the power of all men.” ~ Samuel Johnson Ages ago, when I was in my early twenties I had a huge crush on someone. Do you remember that feeling? It’s like butterflies are flapping their wings in your stomach, you have rose-flushed cheeks when he comes around, you spend […]
Context, Your Majesty
If there’s one thing I learned while earning my degree in Cognitive Psychology, it’s that context matters. It matters so much because it always exists. This means that there is no such thing as a universal behavior because behavior depends on context. Surely, patterns do exist. But if you don’t pay attention to the surrounding […]
AARRR + Behavioral Thinking: A Treasure Trove of Possibility
500Startups founder Dave McClure was quoted saying, “A ‘startup’ is a company that is confused about 1. What its product is. 2. Who its customers are. 3. How to make money.“ What if I told you that Behavioral Thinking provides the answers to all of these questions? Dave McClure developed the AARRR model (also known as the […]
The Why’s Why
In his talk, “Be A Player, Not A Victim,” Fred Koffman, an executive coach and advisor on leadership and culture, holds an apple in one hand and lets it fall down. The apple falls into his other hand below. Then, he asks the question, “Why did the apple fall?” The audience answers almost unanimously, “Gravity.” A single […]
Mind our Incentives: An Argument for Intrinsic Motivation
In business, money does matter, but perhaps not as much as you think. Countless studies and findings have countered the myth that the best way to boost productivity is by way of monetary incentives. As always, context proves to matter. Yet still, many organizations are structured with financial incentives that aim to serve as extrinsic […]
4 Lessons: The Psychology Behind Ideation Sessions, Think Tanks, and Business Meetings
In 1985, the story goes that Andy Grove, Intel’s former president, CEO, and chairman was stuck in debate with Intel’s chairman and CEO at the time, Gordon Moore. They were exhausted from their internal discussions around memory chips and what to do next, to put it simply. Then, Grove had an epiphany: I looked […]
Subjective is the New Objective
In his TED Talk entitled ‘What’s the Difference Between Real and Perceived Value?’, Rory Sutherland, the vice chairman of Olgivy & Mather in the U.K, shares a remarkable anecdote about how engineers sought to make the train journey from London to Paris better. Their engineering solution was to build new tracks to shorten the 3.5 […]
RCT vs. A/B Testing: A Quest to Answer “Why”
There you are. You’re standing in front of your audience of potential and existing customers, wanting nothing more than for them to take your intended action (such as requesting a demo or using the chatbot for customer support instead of calling). How can you promote action amongst a dozen, hundreds, or thousands of different individuals? […]
Heart in Mind: The Impact of Unconscious Emotional Motivators
Let’s try a simple exercise: Think about a new product you recently purchased and were excited to use right away. Make sure it’s something you knew you had very little chance of returning. What did you do with the packaging that the product came in? You most likely threw it away, right? That is, unless […]