Inquiring Minds are Smarter... and Happier!
Whether you define happiness as a state of being or an emotion, research shows that our happiness is directly correlated with curiosity.
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Melissa Hughes
- Jun 15
- 6 min
The Persuasive Power of Social Proof
What other people say, think and do are among the most powerful motivators. Social proof shows up in every aspect of human behavior.
Melissa Hughes
- May 27
- 7 min
Why Facts Backfire
The most vocal defenders of any position are usually the least willing to consider a different point of view. There are 3 biases to blame.
Melissa Hughes
- Apr 8
- 4 min
The Power of Psychological Anchors
Psychological anchors influence every aspect of our lives - from perceptions to evaluations to decisions - often resulting in errors.
Melissa Hughes
- Mar 17, 2021
- 4 min
The Flawed Brain that Tricks the Mind
When you hear the word bias, what comes to mind? Racial prejudice? Maybe you think of mainstream media or a particular political persuasion.
Melissa Hughes
- Feb 25, 2021
- 3 min
Compared to What? The Power of the Contrast Effect
Contrast effect is an unconscious bias that happens when two things are judged in comparison to one another, instead of individually.
Melissa Hughes
- Sep 3, 2020
- 4 min
You've Been Framed!
There is a wealth of research that shows how the way information is framed significantly influences our perception of it.
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 19, 2020
- 4 min
Fundamental Attribution Error: Why We Judge Others Unfairly
Do you ever cut yourself a break while holding others 100 percent accountable? It's fundamental attribution error and we all do it.
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 13, 2020
- 5 min
Metaphorical Mind Games that Influence Behavior
Do you think you'd judge people differently if you were holding something heavy rather than holding nothing at all? Would you judge...
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 10, 2020
- 4 min
Us vs Them and the Fight over Face Masks
Have you ever met someone and instantly liked or maybe disliked that person? We’d all like to think that we make sound judgments about oth
Melissa Hughes
- Jul 2, 2020
- 4 min
Intellectual Humility: Are You Open to Being Wrong?
How receptive are you to understand why someone disagrees with you rather than persuade that person to see it your way?
Melissa Hughes
- Feb 21, 2020
- 4 min
Why Facts Don't Win Arguments
Three unconscious biases at work that may be influencing our sense of "rightness" when confronted with conflicting evidence.
Melissa Hughes
- Nov 14, 2019
- 3 min
Confident or Cocky?
highly confident people are perceived to be more intelligent and successful. But there are 3 pitfalls to overconfidence you should know.
Melissa Hughes
- Nov 14, 2019
- 2 min
The Science of Super Bowl X
While the Cowboys and Steelers were fighting for Super Bowl X, researchers were studying the fans and discovered something fascinating.
Melissa Hughes
- Oct 25, 2019
- 3 min
Those Invisible Forces that Make Us Predictably Irrational
A cognitive bias is a systematic deviation from rational judgment that often leads to lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, il
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 28, 2019
- 2 min
So, you say you're not biased?
While most of us believe we are ethical and unbiased, over 1,000 studies in the past 10 years prove we all have biases.
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 16, 2019
- 4 min
Think You're All That? Think Again
The Dunning-Kruger Effect refers to an inverse correlation between knowledge or skills for a task and the confidence to complete that task.
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4 min
The Ability to Change Your Mind Might Just Be Your Superpower
Intellectual humility is just as important in business as it is in politics and religion. New research shows that people with intellectual h
Melissa Hughes
- Aug 16, 2018
- 4 min
Put a Pencil in Your Mouth... Seriously
We'd all like to think our thoughts and decisions result from a conscious deliberate process. But, research says otherwise.
Melissa Hughes
- May 25, 2018
- 4 min
Groupthink: Smiling and Nodding your Way to Defeat
Consensus decision-making sits just on the edge of groupthink, and it's the best way to keep the best brain power ... away from the team....