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7 stupid thinking errors you probably make

7 stupid thinking errors you probably make
The brain isn’t a flawless piece of machinery. Although it is powerful and comes in an easy to carry container, it has it’s weaknesses. A field in psychology which studies these errors, known as biases. Although you can’t upgrade your mental hardware, noticing these biases can clue you into possible mistakes.How Bias Hurts You If you were in a canoe, you’d probably want to know about any holes in the boat before you start paddling. Biases can be holes in your reasoning abilities and they can impair your decision making. Simply noticing these holes isn’t enough; a canoe will fill with water whether you are aware of a hole or not. Biases hurt you in a number of areas: Decision making. Here are some common thinking errors:1) Confirmation Bias The confirmation bias is a tendency to seek information to prove, rather than disprove our theories. Consider a study conducted by Peter Cathcart Wason. This is the tendency to see patterns where none actually exist.

Train yourself. Dec 27, 2010 When you have major changes going on in your life, or you’re just frustrated about where you are, it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of depression, bad moods and frustration. I know, I’ve been there … and when I’m not careful, I still get there more than I want to. But when I’ve had a particularly hard time, I hit these moments where I’m in a foul mood, or I’m just feeling paralyzed, and I’m just stuck. I’m going to outline the framework that I’ve been using successfully to really get myself resourceful and motivated (and in a better mood) when I’m feeling stuck. First Up: Using A Framework to Escape From Paralyzing Emotions When we feel bad, it’s hard to “feel good” again. The reason for this is that steps take the emotion out of our situation and give us direction to simply act. You can call these verbal step-by-step tools anchors if you want, because they’re ways to anchor your emotional state to a time where you knew what to do and you felt prepared. Think about it. Dave

How To Steal Like An Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me) - Austin Kleon Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 Buy the book: Amazon | B&N | More… Here’s what a few folks have said about it: “Brilliant and real and true.” Read an excerpt below… Tags: steal like an artist

How to feel better now What makes you happy? I find directly pursuing happiness is difficult to do. Many times the things we think will make us happy fail to do so. Instead I like to focus on growth and developing a strong life philosophy that can guide you through tough times and help you enjoy successes. But what about feeling good right now? Hack One: Goals Nothing creates a bigger jolt of enthusiasm than a new inspiring vision of the future. Hack Two: Chores Procrastination sucks. Hack Three: Laugh Don’t take yourself so damn seriously. Hack Four: Aid Help someone who needs it. Hack Five: Socialize One of the leading evolutionary theories for explaining the size of the human brain is our complex social structure. Hack Six: Inspiration Find something to get you inspired, even if just for a short time. Hack Seven: Exercise Exercise releases various chemicals into your brain which leave you feeling good. Hack Eight: Posture Change the way you hold your body to reflect someone who is happier. Hack Nine: Music

Top 10 Schools of Philosophy Miscellaneous Through history, various forms of philosophy have developed. Many have fallen by the wayside but a number have stuck. This is a list of the top 10 schools of philosophy. 10. Nothing exists; Even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; Even if something could be known about it, knowledge about it can’t be communicated to others. - Gorgias (485-375 BC) Solipsism is the idea that one can only know that one’s self exists and that anything outside the mind, such as the external word, can not be known to exist. Solipsism is often associated with nihilism and materialism. 9. Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. - Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Determinism is the philosophical theory that every event, including human cognition and behaviour, decision and action, is determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. 8. - John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) 7. - Epicurus (341-270 BC) 6. - Thomas H. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

The Socratic Method The Socratic Method:Teaching by Asking Instead of by Tellingby Rick Garlikov The following is a transcript of a teaching experiment, using the Socratic method, with a regular third grade class in a suburban elementary school. I present my perspective and views on the session, and on the Socratic method as a teaching tool, following the transcript. The class was conducted on a Friday afternoon beginning at 1:30, late in May, with about two weeks left in the school year. The experiment was to see whether I could teach these students binary arithmetic (arithmetic using only two numbers, 0 and 1) only by asking them questions. I had one prior relationship with this class. When I got to the classroom for the binary math experiment, students were giving reports on famous people and were dressed up like the people they were describing. "But what I am really here for today is to try an experiment with you. 1) "How many is this?" 2) "Who can write that on the board?" 4) Another way? 7) One more?

50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe all of the little things as completely unique events. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.

28 Dignified Ways to Impress Everyone Around You post written by: Marc Chernoff Email Far more often than any of us like to admit, our actions are driven by an inner desire to impress other people. But are name brand products, fancy bars, houses and cars really that impressive? Why? Consider the following questions: He drives a Porsche, but can he truly afford the car payment? You get the idea. Now take a moment and imagine a person who loves what he does for a living, smiles frequently and bleeds passion in every breath he takes. Here are 28 dignified ways to impress everyone around you. We make a living by what we get. Be authentic. Of course, the coolest thing about this list is that everything you need to impress everyone around you is already contained within you. Photo by: Khalid If you enjoyed this article, check out our new best-selling book. And get inspiring life tips and quotes in your inbox (it's free)...

How to become an early riser By Leo Babauta I’ve found that waking early has been one of the best things I’ve done as I’ve changed my life recently, and I thought I’d share my tips. I just posted about my morning routine, and thought you might like to know how I get up at 4:30 a.m. For many years, I was a late riser. So, I set out to make waking up early a habit. Here are my tips for becoming an early riser: Don’t make drastic changes. The Brain—Information about the Brain 1 Introduction “I think, therefore I am.” —René Descartes, 17th-century philosopher Few of us question the crucial importance of the brain. It is vital to our existence. The brain makes up only 2 percent of our body weight, but it consumes 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe and 20 percent of the energy we consume. Scientists have worked for many years to unravel the complex workings of the brain. Despite these and other significant advances in the field of brain research, most of the processes responsible for the integrated functioning of billions of brain cells remain a mystery. An essential aspect of any scientific research is communicating results to the public in a way that is easily understood. To correctly interpret the information transmitted through these venues, we need a better understanding of basic concepts related to the brain. 2 Myths and Realities about the Brain Myth: The brain is separate from the nervous system. Myth: The brain is a uniform mass of tissue. Figure 1.

Wisdom & Quotes by Confucius » Wisdom of the Ancient Sages « Articles & Wisdom Confucius 551-479 BC Chinese Philosopher Famous Quotes "When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves." "Things that are done, it is needless to speak about... things that are past, it is needless to blame." "The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow." "Have no friends not equal to yourself." "What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others." "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do." "Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses." "Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart." "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." "Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star." "Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes." Back to Top

42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek to improve yourself and become better? If you do, then we have something in common. I’m very passionate about personal growth. SEE ALSO: How to Better Yourself One Day at a Time After 1.5 years of actively pursuing growth and helping others to grow through my personal development blog, I realize there is never an end to the journey of self improvement. As a passionate advocate of growth, I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. Read a book every day. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this article or anything about personal growth. Image © kevindooley Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You What if you currently live a very comfortable lifestyle and you have a lot of assets? How can you justify running off to do what truly makes you happy if it might put all your current assets at risk? Here’s my take on this…. To abandon a comfortable lifestyle that isn’t deeply fulfilling is to abandon nothing. I currently have some material stuff in my life. After all, why are we here? And here’s the worst part. So what is the point of a life dedicated to the acquisition and protection of stuff? So what have you got to lose? If you’re sitting behind a desk working at a job you hate in order to protect your current lifestyle, you are protecting nothing. So what kind of life is that — one that’s dedicated to the guarding of dust? Life is just too precious to waste. What does it mean to really live? Live for what is real to you. What matters to me — what is real to me — is inspiring and helping people. What does your current to do list look like? Site Build It!

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